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BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

<» 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


LIFE  OF 


HEBER   C.   KIMBALL, 


AN     APOSTLE; 


THE    FATHER    AND    FOUNDER    OF    THE    BRITISH    MISSION. 


BY   ORSON    F.    WHITNEY. 


IT  IS  easy  in  the  world  to  live  after  the  world's  opinion  ;  it  is  easy  in  solitude  to 
live  after  our  own  ;  but  the  great  man  is  he  who,  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  keeps  with 
perfect  sweetness  the  independence  of  his  character. — Emerson. 


PUBLISHED    BY    THE    KIMBALL    FAMILY, 

SALT    LAKE   CITY,    UTAH. 

PRINTED  AT  THE  JUVENILE  INSTRUCTOR  OFFICE. 

1888. 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

My   GRANDFATHER; 

AND   TO   THE   GREAT 

Cause    of  Truth, 

For  which  he  lived  and  died;  and  to  all  who  love  that 

Memory  and  that  Cause, 

This  Volume  is  reverently  Dedicated  by 

THE    AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


IN  presenting  this  work  to  the  public,  I  not  only 
fulfill  the  desires  of  my  own  heart  and  those  of  my  kin- 
dred who  have  undertaken  to  publish  what  is  here 
written  and  compiled,  but  likewise,  I  am  persuaded,  the 
wish  of  our  departed  ancestor.  Laying  the  foundation 
for  such  a  work  while  living  (as  the  copious  selections 
from  his  own  writings  will  testify),  he  left  its  bringing 
forth  as  a  sacred  legacy  to  his  posterity. 

For  many  years  this  duty,  unenjoined  in  words,  but 
accepted  by  all  in  the  light  of  a  behest,  was  permitted  to 
lie  dormant.  The  death  of  President  Kimball,  on  the 
22nd  of  June.,  1868,  was  a  calamity  so  sudden  and  heavy 
in  its  effect  upon  his  family,  as  to  almost  paralyze  thought 
and  effort.  Though  trained  to  independence  and  self- 
reliance,  under  his  wise  government,  and  never  pam- 
pered in  ease  and  luxury,  they  had  ever  looked  to 
him  for  guidance  and  support,  and  had  never  known  the 
weight  of  responsibility  resting  upon  him  as  their  parent 
and  provider,  only  as  from  time  to  time  he  had  taken 
certain  ones  into  his  confidence  and  permitted  them  to 
share  his  burdens. 

In  his  absence  they  were  as  sheep  that  had  lost  their 


IV  PREFACE. 

shepherd.  "Who  will  provide  for  us  now,  and  what 
shall  we  do  to  earn  a  livelihood?"  Such  were  the 
thoughts  presented  to  their  minds,  and  the  questions 
asked  of  their  secret  souls,  as  they  looked  around  upon 
their  temporal  situation.  The  division  of  the  parental 
estate  had  left  them  comfortable,  though  far  from  rich, 
None  of  his  sons  had  trades,  but  all  had  been  brought 
up  to  work.  Realizing  that  a  city  life  was  no  longer 
their  lot,  they  resolved  to  separate,  and,  following  the 
example  of  their  ancestors  for  generations,  go  forth  and 
colonize  new  regions.  Some  moved  north,  and  others 
south,  but  few  remaining  in  the  city  of  their  birth,  and. 
at  the  expiration  of  fifteen  years,  many  had  become 
almost  as  strangers  to  each  other. 

About  the  year  1883  a  spirit  of  inquiry  commenced 
to  manifest  itself  among  the  members  of  the  Kimball 
family,  causing  them  to  "feel  after"  and  evince  more 
interest  in  each  other's  welfare.  This  sentiment  increasT 
ing,  some  of  the  elder  members  at  length  opened  a 
correspondence  on  the  subject  of  a  family  reunion.  By 
many  this  was  deemed  impracticable,  owing  to  their 
scattered  condition ;  some  living  in  Idaho,  some  in  south- 
ern Arizona,  and  others  in  California ;  and  nearly  all  in 
circumstances  which,  it  was  thought,  would  hardly  justify 
the  necessary  outlay.  But  the  desire  to  meet  and  mingle 
with  each  other  finally  grew  so  urgent  and  so  general 
among  them — as  though  some  unseen  power  were  at 
work  in  their  midst,  with  this  object  in  view — that  it  was 
determined  to  hold  the  reunion,  no  matter  what  sacrifice 
it  entailed. 


PREFACE.  V 

During  the  summer  of  1886,  a  number  of  the  family 
met  and  appointed  a  Committee  on  Reunion,  selecting 
for  the  day,  June  I4th,  1887,  (the  eighty-sixth  anniver- 
sary of  their  father's  birth)  and  as  the  place  of  meeting, 
Fuller's  Hill  Gardens,  Salt  Lake  City.  There  came 
together  on  that  memorable  occasion,  fully  three  hundred 
members  and  relatives  of  the  Kimball  family,  with  others 
who  had  been  invited  to  take  part  in  the  celebration.  A 
programme,  previously  arranged,  consisting  of  speeches, 
recitations,  readings,  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  etc., 
was  carried  out  to  the  satisfaction  and  enjoyment  of  all, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  time  spent  in  amusement,  fes- 
tivity and  recreation.  A  spirit  of  peace  and  union, 
powerful  and  indescribable,  pervaded  the  assembly  and 
permeated  the  whole  occasion,  causing  every  heart  to 
swell  with  love,  and  many  an  eye  to  glisten  with  tears  of 
gratitude  and  joy.  As  though,  indeed,  the  spirits  of  the 
departed  were  there,  bringing  with  them  the  sweet 
influences  of  the  celestial  world,  to  weld  anew,  as  links 
of  a  broken  chain,  the  souls  of  those  so  long  separated. 
It  was,  in  truth,  a  day  never  to  be  forgotten. 

There  were  present,  of  the  family  of  President 
Kimball,  nineteen  sons,  six  daughters,  and  several  of  his 
widows,  besides  grand-children,  and  many  other  rela- 
tives, near  and  remote. 

One  of  the  features  of  the  programme  was  a  sketch 
of  the  life  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  written  for  the  occasion 
and  read  by  his  grandson,  the  author  of  this  work.  This 
incident  determined  and  united  the  family  on  a  project 
mooted  by  its  members  and  partly  executed  several  years 


VI  PREFACE. 

before.  It  was  the  publication  of  the  life  of  Heber  C. 
Kimball.  On  the  evening  of  the  day  of  reunion  the 
male  members  of  the  family  met  and  appointed  a  com- 
mittee of  five  on  publication.  Several  thousand  dollars 
of  undivided  property,  still  in  the  estate,  was  devoted  to 
the  purpose,  and  the  author  hereof  solicited,  and  by 
unanimous  voice  chosen  and  engaged  to  write  the  his- 
tory. 

Such,  in  brief,  were  the  immediate  causes  of  the 
coming  forth  of  this  volume. 

In  the  execution  of  my  task,  I  have  felt  strongly 
moved  upon  by  the  spirit  of  my  grandsire,  and  verily 
believe  that  his  presence,  though  unseen,  has  hovered 
near  me. 

This  book  is  written  from  the  standpoint  of  a  Lat- 
ter-day Saint.  It  makes  no  apology  for  the  honest 
expression  of  views,  which,  however  false  or  fanatical 
they  may  seem  to  others,  are  in  the  opinion  of  the  author 
only  such  as  ought  to  be  entertained  by  every  sincere 
believer  and  defender  of  the  faith.  It  is  issued  with  the 
humble  and  earnest  hope  that  it  may  go  forth  as  a  mes- 
senger of  Truth  to  help  prepare  the  way  for  greater 
things  that  shall  glorify  God  and  redeem  Zion.  The  life 
of  a  man  like  Heber  C.  Kimball,  with  its  lessons  of  faith 
and  humility,  of  virtue,  courage  and  devotion,  cannot 
fail,  if  prayerfully  read,  to  do  something  in -this  direction. 

Wherever  possible,  I  have  allowed  the  subject  to 
speak  for  himself.  In  lieu  of  converting  facts  found  of 
record  in  his  Journal  into  "original  matter,"  I  have  pres- 
ented them  mostly  in  all  their  freshness  and  simplicity ; 


PREFACE.  vii 

as  flowers  of  the  field,  with  the  dew  and  fragrance  of 
their  native  meadow  yet  clinging  to  them.  This  has  been 
done,  not  only  out  of  deference  to  the  wishes  of  his 
relatives,  who  desired  that  much  of  what  their  father  had 
written  should  be  incorporated  in  the  book  of  his  life, 
but  because  I  have  deemed  it  best  to  thus  project  upon 
the  reader's  mental  vision,  by  means  of  the  most  superior 
process,  the  portrait  of  the  man  and  his  mission  as 
painted  by  himself. 

I  cannot  close  this  introductory  without  expressing 
my  deep  sense  of  indebtedness  to  the  kind  friends  who 
have  aided  and  encouraged  me  in  the  bringing  forth  of 
this,  my  first  book.  Their  name  is  legion,  but  limited 
space  will  only  permit  the  mention  of  a  few.  To  Presi- 
dent Wilford  Woodruff  and  others  of  the  Apostles  I  am 
indebted  for  kind  words  and  encouragement,  and  for  the 
appointment  of  a  committee,  at  my  request,  to  read  the 
manuscript  and  pass  upon  it  critically,  as  to  doctrinal 
and  historical  points,  before  placing  it  in  the  hands  of 
the  printer;  to  Elder  George  Reynolds,  for  his  intelli- 
gent advice  and  labors  as  one  of  said  committee  ;  and  to 
Edward  W.  Tullidge  Esq.,  the  veteran  author,  for  a  col- 
lection of  facts  relating  to  my  subject,  gathered  during 
his  extensive  experience  as  historian  and  biographer. 
Last,  but  not  least,  in  this  limited  reference,  I  am  under 
obligations  of  gratitude  to  my  uncle,  Solomon  F.  Kim- 
ball,  the  chief  promoter  of  this  work,  who  first  approached 
me  on  the  subject  of  writing  his  father's  life,  and  who,  in 
all  the  toils  incident  to  such  an  undertaking,  has  proved 
my  staunch  and  faithful  friend. 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

My  labor,  I  need  hardly  say,  in  conclusion,  has  been 
one  of  love  and  duty.  I  have  fulfilled,  imperfectly  I 
know,  conscientiously  I  am  as  certain,  what  I  considered 
a  sacred  trust ;  the  result  of  which  I  now  lay  at  the  feet 
of  an  indulgent  public. 

ORSON  F.  WHITNEY. 
NOVEMBER,  1888. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

A  Pre-existent  Glimpse — God's  Noble  and  Great  Ones — Heber 
C.  Kimball  a  Predestined  Prophet — Opening  of  the  Last 
Dispensation — Heber's  Birth  and  Parentage — Early  Inci- 
dents of  His  Life — Clouds  and  Sunshine 17 

CHAPTER  II. 

A  Romantic  Episode — Heber's  Marriage  with  Vilate  Murray 
— A  Soldier  and  a  Free  Mason — His  Stern  Arraignment  of 
the  Ancient  Order — Death  of  Heber's  Father  and  Mother  .  24 

CHAPTER  III. 

Heber's  Poetic  Nature — A  Rough  Diamond — Early  Religious 
Experience — Joins  the  Baptist  Church — ''Signs  in  the 
Heavens  Above" — Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Brigham  Young 
—The  Everlasting  Gospel 29 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Heber  Embraces  Mormon  ism — A  Baptism  of  Fire — Death  of 
Miriam  Young — Vilate  Kimball  a  Mother  to  the  Orphans — 
Heber  Ordained  an  Elder — Resolves  to  Visit  Kirtland.  .  .  37 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Land  of  Shinehah — Arrival  of  Heber  and  Brigham  in  Kirt- 
land— Their  First  Meeting  with  the  Prophet— The  Kimballs 
and  Youngs  Remove  to  Ohio — Vexatious  Suits  and  Mob 
Violence — Fallen  on  Perilous  Times 42 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Gathering  of  the  Titans— Heber's  Testimony  of  Joseph  and 
the  Twelve — Their  Mighty  Mission — The  Test  of  Faith— 

Zion's  Camp 47 

CHAPTER  VII 

The   Redemption   of  Zion — Enoch's  City  to  Return — Object  of 
The  United  Order — Cause  of  the  Jackson  County  Expulsion 
-The  Wheat  from  the  Chaff 49 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Zion's  Camp  Expedition — Joseph  as  a  Prophet- General- 
Finding  of  the  Bones  of  Zelph,  the  Ancient — Rebellion  in 
the  Camp — Joseph  Predicts  a  Scourge — Heber's  Failure  as  a 
Launderer — Zion's  Camp  Saved  by  a  Storm 53 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

PAGE. 

The  Fishing  River  Revelation — Why   Zion    was  not  Redeemed 
—The   Cholera  in  Camp — The  Test   of   Faith   Complete — 
The  Shadow  of  a  Coming  Event 70 

CHAPTER   X. 

Building  the  Temple — Joseph   and  Heber  Working  in  the  Quarry 
—The  Theological  School — A  Lesson  on  Faith — Call  of  the 
Twelve — Heber  C.  Kimball  Ordained  an  Apostle 80 

CHAPTER  XI. 

First  Mission   of  the  Twelve — Heber  Revisits  the  Scenes  of  his 
Childhood — Mobbing  an  Abolitionist — "The  Accuser  of  the 
Brethren" — Days  of  Repentance  and  Reformation  ....       92 
CHAPTER  XII. 

Heber's  Description  of  the  Temple — Its  Dedication — Angels 
Administer — The  "Beloved  Disciple"  John  Seen — The 
Solemn  Assembly — The  Elders  Endowed  with  Power  from  on 

High — Heber's  Lone  Mission 100 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Worship  of  Mammon — The  Temporal  Above  the  Spiritual — 
The  Kirtland  Bank — Financial  Disasters — Apostasy — Heber 

Sorrows  Over  the  Degeneracy  of  the  Times no 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Zion's  Ship  Among  the  Breakers — "Something  New  Must  be 
Done  to  Save  the  Church." — Heber  C.  Kimball  Appointed 
to  Open  the  British  Mission — Spiritual  Things  to  the  Front 
—Righting  the  Ship — Heber's  Prophecy  to  Willard  Richards 
—"Yea,  in  the  Name  of  the  Lord,  Thou  Shalt  Go  With  Me  " 

—The  Departure  for  England 115 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Farewell    to    Native    Land — "Upon    the    Wide,    Wide    Sea"- 
Heber's  Dream  of  Joseph — A  Ship  Out  of  Her  Reckoning — 
A  Dying  Child  Healed — Apostle  Hyde  Preaches  on  Board — 

Arrival  at  Liverpool — The  Elders  Leap  Ashore 125; 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

Strangers  in  a  Strange  Land — The  Elders  Led  by  the  Spirit  to 
Preston— "  Truth  Will  Prevail "  -The  Reverend  James 
Fielding — Wonderful  Fulfillment  of  Heber's  Prophecies — A 
People  Prepared  for  the  Gospel — The  Elders  Preach  in 

Preston 132 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Satan  Alarmed — The  Powers  of  Evil  Conspire  Against  the  Elders 
—Chapels  and  Churches  Closed  Against  Them — The 
Reverend  Mr.  Fielding  in  his  Real  Colors — The  Work  Con- 
tinues to  Spread — An  Army  of  Demons  Attack  the  Elders — 
The  Dawn  and  Victory 138 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

PAGE. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Fielding  Forbids  the  Elders  to  Baptize  their 
Converts — Apostle  Kimball's  Answer:  "They  are  of  Age 
and  Can  Act  for  Themselves  "—Premier  Gladstone  and 
Secretary  Evarts — Free  Agency  and  Unrighteous  Dominion — 
Heber  C.  Kimball  Baptizes  in  the  River  Ribble — A  Miracle.  147 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Elders  Separate  for  the  Better  Prosecution  of  Their  Work— 
Jennetta  Richards — The  Preston  Branch  Organized — Heber 
Goes  to  Walkerfold — Another  Minister's  "  Craft  in  Danger" 
— More  of  Heber's  Prophecies — "Willard,  I  Baptized  Your 
Wife  To-day." 151 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Mission  of  Elias — The  Symbolism  of  the  Universe — The 
Past  Preparatory  to  the  Present  and  Future — The  Way  Pre- 
pared for  the  Fullness  of  the  Gospel — The  "Lesser  Lights  of 
England — Fielding,  Matthews  and  Aitken — The  Stars  Paling 
Before  the  Sun 158 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Temperance  Reform  in  Preston — A  Work  Preparatory  to  the 
Gospel — Preaching  in  the  "Cock  Pit " —Heber  Writes 
Home  an  Account  of  His  Mission — The  Work  in  Cumber- 
land— Episode  of  Mary  Smithies — "  She  Shall  Live  to 
Become  a  Mother  in  Israel." 165 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Heber  Writes  to  Willard  in  Bedford— The  Elders  Become 
Licensed  Preachers— The  "  Milk"  and  "  Meat  of  the  Word" 
—Rapid  Spread  of  the  Work — Miracles — Heber's  Dream  of 
the  Bull  and  Field  of  Grain — A  Disappointed  Mob  ....  171 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

The  Voice  of  the  Good  Shepherd— Heber  Converts  Whole 
Villages — The  Spirit  of  the  Master  Upon  His  Servant — The 

Christmas  Conference  in  Preston 181 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Work  of  God  not  Dependent  upon  Man — Humility  a  Source 
of  Power — Every  Man  Chosen  and  Fitted  for  his  Sphere — 
Example  of  Paul  the  Apostle — Heber  "Hits  the  Rock"  in 
Longton — The  Apostles  Visit  the  Branches  Prior  to  Return- 
ing to  America 188 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Condition  of  the  Church  at  Home — Pruning  off  the  Dead 
Branches — A  Day  of  Choosing — Apostates  Conspire  to 
Overthrow  the  Church — Flight  of  the  Prophet  from  Kirtland 
— Fall  of  Oliver  Cowdery  and  other  Apostles — "Show  Unto 
us  Thy  Will,  O  Lord,  concerning  the  Twelve!" 194 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

PAGE. 

Heber's  Farewell  to  Chatburn — An  Affecting  Scene — His  Sym- 
pathy for  the  Poor  of  England — The  April  Conference  in 
Preston — Two  Thousand  Saints  Assemble — Joseph  Fielding 
Appointed  to  Preside  over  the  British  Mission 200 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Departure  for  Liverpool — Heber's  Letter  to  the  Saints  in  Chat- 
burn  and  Downham — His  Prediction  concerning  Thomas 
Webster — Its  Strict  Fulfillment 207 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

The  Elders  Sail  for  Home— A  Storm  at  Sea — How  Heber  Found 
Favor  with  the  Steward — Arrival  at  New  York — The 
"Garrick"  again  Victorious — Journey  to  Kirtland — On  to 
Far  West — Happy  Meeting  with  Joseph  and  the  Brethren  .  212 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Land  where  Adam  Dwelt — The  Saints  Impelled  To  ward  their 
Destiny  —  Persecution  Revives  —  Adam-ondi-Ahman  —  The 

Altar  of  the  Ancient  of  Days 218 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Times  that  Tried  Men's  Souls — The  Mob  Gathering  Against  Far 
West — Battle  of  Crooked  River — Death  of  David  W.  Patten 

Days  of  Darkness  and  Disaster 223 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

The  Fall  of  Far  West — Joseph  and  his  Brethren  Betrayed  to  the 
Enemy — Heber  Facing  the  Traitors — His  Fearless  Denuncia- 
tion and  Firm  Testimony — Atrocities  of  the  Mob — Heber's 
Prophecy  of  Retribution — He  Visits  the  Prophet  in  Rich- 
mond Jail 228 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Memorial  to  the  Missouri  Legislature — A  Chapter  of  Infamy- 
How  Missouri  Redressed  the  Wrongs  of  the  Suffering  Saints 
— Brigham  and  Heber  Setting  in  Order  the  Church — 

Arranging  for  the  Exodus 237 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Hie  First  Presidency  Instruct  the  Apostles— Brigham  Young 
Chosen  President  of  the  Twelve — The  Exodus  Begun — 
Heber  Tarries  in  Missouri  to  Minister  to  his  Imprisoned 
Brethren— His  Faithful  but  Fruitless  Efforts  for  their  Release 

—The  Lord  Speaks  to  Heber 249 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A  Word  for  the  Fallen — Only  God  Knoweth  the  Wherefore  and 
Why — Orson  Hyde's  Repentance  and  Return  to  the  Church 
—Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Hyrum  Smith  his  Champions — 
Isaac  Russell's  Apostasy — Heber  Writes  to  the  Church  in 
England 255 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

• 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

PAGE. 

The  Brethren  in  Liberty  Jail— Judge  King's  Coup  D'Etat— The 
Mob  Again  Threaten  Far  West — Fiends  in  Human  Form — 
The  Prophet  Regains  His  Freedom— The  Apostles  Fulfill 
Revelation — First  Conference  of  the  Church  in  Illinois  .  .  259 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Nauvoo  the  Beautiful — Heber's  Prediction  Over  the  Fated  City 
— Elder  Rigdon's  Alarm — Heber's  Second  Encounter  with 
Evil  Spirits — Parley  P.  Pratt  Escapes  from  Prison,  Fulfilling 
Heber's  Prophecy 267 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

An  Epidemic  of  Disease — Joseph  Heals  the  Multitude — Brigham 
and  Heber  Start  on  their  Mission  to  England — Sickness  by 
the  Way — Heber  Poisoned — His  Life  Saved  by  Brigham  .  .  272 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
On  to  Kirtland — Miraculously  Supplied  with  Money — Condition 

of  Affairs  at  the  Old  Church  Headquarters 281 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Apostles  Sail  for  England — Growth  of  the  British  Mission 
During  Heber's  Absence — Labors  of  Elders  Woodruff  and 
Taylor — First  Council  of  the  Twelve  Among  the  Nations — 
Willard  Richards  Ordained  an  Apostle 285 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Heber  Visits  the  Branches  Raised  up  During  His  Former  Mission 
—His  Report  of  their  Condition  and  Standing — First 
General  Conference  at  Manchester 290 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

Founding  the  London  Conference — Apostles  Kimball,  Woodruff 
and  Smith  Chosen  for  the  Work — Seeking  for  a  Man  with 
the  Spirit  of  God — The  First  Convert— The  Elders  Hold 
Open-air  Meetings  in  Tabernacle  Square 296 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

Father  Corner  Baptized — The  Apostles  Visit  the  Reverend  Robert 
Aitken— Heber  Attacked  with  Cholera— The  Work  in  other 
Parts — Second  Conference  at  Manchester — Brigham  Accom- 
panies Heber  to  London — Conversion  of  the  Rev.  James 
Albion •  3°3 

CHAPTER    XLIII. 

Opening  of  the  Year  1841  in  London — Encouraging  Success  of 
the  Elders — Heber  C.  Kimball  Blesses  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land— The  Woolwich  Branch  Organized — Organization  of 
the  London  Conference — The  Prospect  of  War  Between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  Hastens  the  Return  of 
the  Apostles  to  America 3T3 


CONTENTS. 

• 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

PAGE. 

Heber  Organizes  the  Birmingham  Conference — Meeting  of  the 
Apostles  in  Manchester  Prior  to  Returning  to  America — 
Orson  Hyde  Present  on  his  way  to  Palestine — The  Extensive 
Work  of  One  Year 318 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

The  Apostles  Sail  for  Home — Arrival  at  New  York — Heber' s 
Letter  to  the  "Millennial  Star"  —Happy  Meeting  With  the 
Prophet  and  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo — Labors  Spiritual  aad 
Temporal — Heber' s  Phrenological  Chart 322 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 

Revelation  of  Celestial  Marriage — Secrecy  the  Price  of  Safety — 
Joseph  Tests  Heber  and  Makes  him  his  Confidant — How 
Vilate  Kimball  was  Converted — Heber  and  Vilate  give  their 
Daughter  Helen  to  the  Prophet  in  Celestial  Marriage  ...  331 

CHAPTER    XLVII. 

John  C.  Bennett's  Apostasy — Heber  and  the  Twelve  sent  out  to 
Refute  his  Slanders — Heber's  Famous  Sermon:  "The  Clay 
in  the  Hands  of  the  Potter" — Inception  of  the  Relief 
Society — Vilate' s  Vow  and  Heber's  Prayer 339 

CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

Heber's  Last  Mission  to  the  Gentiles — Joseph  Smith  a  Candidate 
for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States — The  Apostles  his 
Electioneerers — The  Martyrdom — Return  of  the  Twelve  to 
Nauvoo 347 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

•Choice  of  Joseph's  Successor — A  Miracle — The  Mantle  of  Joseph 
Falls  Upon  Brigham  Young — Heber  C.  Kimball  his  Right 
Hand  Man •••...  353 

CHAPTER  L. 

The  Work  Moves  on  in  Spite  of  Persecution  and  Apostasy — The 
Nauvor>  Temple  Finished  and  Dedicated — The  Saints  Pre- 
pare for  their  Removal  to  the  Rocky  Mountains 356 

CHAPTER  LI. 

The  Exodus — Heber's  Prophecy  Fulfilled — Evacuation  of  Nauvoo 
—The  Camp  of  Israel  on  Sugar  Creek — Brigham  and  Heber 
Lead  the  Church  Westward — Arrival  at  the  Missouri  River  .     363 

CHAPTER  LII. 

Destination  of  the  Saints — The  Call  for  the  Mormon  Battalion 
Heroic  Response  of  the  Exiles — Brigham,  Heber  and  Willard 
as  Recruiting  Sergeants — Departure  of  the  Battalion — The 
Camp  of  Israel  Goes  into  Winter  Quarters — The  Fall  of 
Nauvoo 368 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAPTER  LIII. 

PAGE. 

The  Word  and  Will  of  the  Lord  Concerning  the  Camp  of  Israel 
— The  Pioneers  Start  for  the  Rocky  Mountains — Names  of 
the  Heroes — Incidents  of  the  Journey  West 373 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

Arrival  at  Grand  Island — The  Pioneer  Buffalo  Hunt — Heber  Kills 
his  First  Bison — The  Spirit  of  Levity  Rebuked — The 
Pioneers  Reach  Fort  Laramie 383 

CHAPTER  LV. 

The  Pioneers  Cross  the  Platte — Governor  Boggs  and  the 
Missourians — Col.  Bridger — "A  Thousand  Dollars  for  a 
Bushel  of  Wheat"-— The  Pioneers'  First  Glimpse  of  the 
Valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake 386 

CHAPTER  LVI. 

The  Pioneers  Enter  the  Valley — Exploring  and  Colonizing — A 
Renewal  of  Covenants — Selection  of  Inheritances — Return 
of  the  Leaders  to  Winter  Quarters 389 

CHAPTER   LVII. 

The  First  Presidency  Reorganized — Heber  Attains  to  "The 
Honor  of  the  Three" — Second  Journey  to  the  Mountains  — 
Sickness  and  Distress — Heber's  Character  as  a  Colonizer  .  .  396 

CHAPTER    LVIII. 

The  Cricket  Plague— Saved  by  the  Gulls  -Heber's  Famous  Pro- 
phecy— " States  Goods"  Sold  in  Great  Salt  Lake  City 
Cheaper  than  in  New  York 400 

CHAPTER  LIX. 

Heber  C.  Kimball  Chief  Justice  and  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
Deseret — In  the  Legislature- Laying  the  Corner  Stones  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Temple— neber's  Consecration  Prayer— His 
Prophecy  in  Relation  to  the  Temple  — He  Predicts  Another 
Famine 4°5 

CHAPTER  LX. 

The  Famine  of  '56  —  Heber  a  Second  Joseph — A  Savior  to  his 
People— Vilate  a  Ministering  Angel  — A  Strange  Piece  of 
Counsel — President  Kimball's  Letters  Descriptive  of  the 
Famine  to  His  Son  William,  in  England 4J3 

CHAPTER  LXI. 

The  Hand-cart  Emigration — Perishing  in  the  Snow — Heroic  Con- 
duct of  William  H.  and  David  P.  Kimball — President  Kim- 
ball's  Plea  and  Exertions  in  Behalf  of  the  Sufferers— The 
Utah  War —The  Great  Rebellion 425 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  LXII. 

PAGE. 

Some  of  Heber's  Family  History — A  Patriarchal  Household — 
Names  of  his  Wives  and  Children — Episode  of  Abram  A. 
Kimball — Peter,  the  Child  of  Promise — Heber  at  Family 
Prayers  —  David  H.  Kimball's Story — ileberP.  and  Solomon 
F.  Kimball  in  the  Black  Hawk  War 429 

CHAPTER   LXIII. 

Anecdotes  and  Reminiscences  of  Heber  C.  Kimball — The  Man  as 
Others  Knew  him — Golden  Grains  from  the  Sands  of 
Memory 442 

CHAPTER  LXIV. 

Gems  from  the  Words  of  Heber — Spirit  Rappings — Address  at 
the  Funeral  of  Mary  Fielding  Smith— Love,  Unity  and 
the  Courage  of  the  Righteous — Joseph  and  the  Keys  of  the 
Kingdom — Cultivation  of  Spirits — Heaven  and  Hell — 
Administration  of  Angels  and  the  Spirits  of  the  Ancients — 
The  Resurrection— The  Spirit  World— The  Clay  and  the 
Potter — A  Cause  of  Apostasy — A  Miraculous  Cane — The 
Church  in  Heaven 466 

CHAPTER  LXV. 

Gems  from  Heber's  Words  Continued — His  Striking  View  of 
Time  and  Eternity — His  Words  and  Works  at  the  Last  Con- 
ference Preceding  his  Death — His  Last  Sermon 478 

CHAPTER  LXVI. 

Death  of  Vilate,  the  Wife  of  Heber's  Youth — President  Brigham 
Young  Preaches  her  Funeral  Sermon — His  Feeling  Tribute 
to  her  Memory — Heber  Prophesies  of  his  Own  Death  .  .  482 

CHAPTER   LXVII. 

Death  of  Apostle  Kimball — All    Israel  Mourns — Expressions  in 

Honor  of  the  Illustrious  Dead 485 

CHAPTER  LXVIII. 

Obsequies  of  President  Kimball — Tributes  and  Testimonies  of 
his  Brother  Apostles — "  He  was  a  man  of  as  Much  Integrity 
as  Any  Man  who  Ever  Lived  " — Earth  Returns  to  Earth  and 
the  Spirit  Unto  God  Who  Gave  it •  491 

APPENDIX. 

A  Glimpse  of  the  Great  Beyond — Thrilling  Experience  of  David 
Patten  Kimball — Lost  in  the  Desert— Communing  with  the 
Spirits  of  the  Departed — David  Predicts  his  own  Death  and 
the  Death  of  Four  Others— The  Fulfillment  .  .  .  .  .  .  511 


CHAPTER    I. 

A  PRE-EXISTENT  GLIMPSE GOD's  NOBLE    AND    GREAT    ONES 

HEBER  C.   KIMBALL    A    PREDESTINED    PROPHET OPENING 

OF  THE  LAST  DISPENSATION HEBER\S  BIRTH     AND  PAR- 
ENTAGE  EARLY  INCIDENTS  OF  HIS  LIFE CLOUDS  AND 

SUNSHINE. 

MEN  like  Heber  C.  Kimball  are  not  accidents.  They 
are  emphatically  and  in  the  truest  sense,  children  of  des- 
tiny. If  we  seek  their  origin,  and  would  know  their 
truth,  we  must  not  halt  beside  the  humble  cradle  which 
"lulled  their  infant  cares  to  rest."  We  must  rise  on 
spirit  wings  above  the  mists  and  vapors  of  mortality,  and 
survey  them  in  the  light  of  an  eternal  existence,  a  life 
without  beginning  or  end.  Says  one  of  old  : 

"Now  the  Lord  had  shown  unto  me,  Abraham,  the 
intelligences  that  were  organized  before  the  world  was  ; 
and  among  all  these  there  were  many  of  the  noble  and 
great  ones ;  and  God  saw  these  souls  that  they  were 
good,  and  he  stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  he  said, 
'These  I  will  make  my  rulers' ;  for  he  stood  among  those 
that  were  spirits,  and  he  saw  that  they  were  good,  and 
he  said  unto  me,  Abraham,  thou  art  one  of  them,  thou 
wast  chosen  before  thou  wast  born." 

Again,  unto  Jeremiah: 

"Before  I  formed  thee  in  the  belly  I  knew  thee ;  and 
before  thou  earnest  forth  out  of  the  womb  I  sanctified 
thee,  and  I  ordained  thee  a  prophet  unto  the  nations." 

What  is  true  in  this  respect  of  ancient  prophets,  is 
true  also  of  modern  prophets,  for  verily  are  their  origin, 
their  mission  and  their  destiny  the  same. 


1 8  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

It  devolved  upon  the  subject  of  this  writing  to  come 
forth  at  a  time  which  has  no  parallel  in  all  the  ages  of  the 
past.  The  day  of  God's  power  and  of  Zion's  glory  was 
about  to  dawn.  The  Sun  that  set  in  blood  behind 
Judea's  hills  was  soon  to  rise  o'er  Zion's  mountain-tops 
and  flood  the  world  with  light.  The  latter-day  dispensa- 
tion was  opening.  All  things  in  Christ  were  to  be  gath- 
ered in  one.  The  curtain  of  history  had  risen  on  the  last 
act  of  the  tragedy  of  Time. 

Would  God  leave  the  world  without  "great  and  noble 
ones"  at  such  an  hour? 


Heber  Chase  Kimball  was  born  into  this  life  June 
1 4th,  T  80 1.  The  same  soil  produced  him  that  in  colonial 
times  brought  forth  an  Ethan  Allen,  the  hero  of  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  in  later  years  the  wondrous  twain  of  spirits 
known  to  the  world  as  Joseph  Smith  and  Brigham  Young. 

A  far  greater  work  than  the  capture  of  a  British  for- 
tress was  in  the  future  of  this  Mormon  triad  of  "Green 
Mountain  boys,"  who  went  forth  "in  the  name  of  the 
great  Jehovah"  to  invade  the  strongholds  of  Satan,  and 
plant  the  banner  of  gospel  truth  above  the  ramparts  of 
his  conquered  citadels. 

Heber's  birthplace  was  the  town  of  Sheldon,  Frank- 
lin County,  Vermont,  ten  miles  from  the  shores  of  Lake 
Champlain.  He  was  the  fourth  child  and  second  son  in 
a  family  of  seven,  the  order  of  whose  birth  was  as  fol- 
lows: Charles  Spaulding,  Eliza,  Abigail,  Heber  Chase, 
Melvina,  Solomon  and  Daniel  Spaulding,  the  last  named 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  These  were  all  born  in  Sheldon. 

His  father's  name  was  Solomon  Farnham  Kimball,  a 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  1 9 

native  of  Massachusetts,  where  he  was  born  in  the  year 
1770.  He  was  "a  man  of  good  moral  character,"  and, 
though  he  professed  no  religion,  taught  his  children  cor- 
rect principles.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Anna 
Spaulding ;  she  was  a  strict  Presbyterian,  lived  a  virtuous 
life,  and,  according  to  her  best  knowledge,  reared  her 
family  in  the  ways  of  righteousness.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Speedy  Spaulding,  and  was  born 
in  Plainfield,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  banks  of  the  Con- 
necticut river. 

The  Kimballs  were  of  Scotch  descent,  their  ancient 
name,  it  is  believed,  being  Campbell.  Heber's  grand- 
father and  a  brother  came  from  England,  in  time  to  assist 
in  gaining  the  independence  of  the  colonies.  In  America 
his  ancestors  and  those  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  were 
related  by  marriage. 

Heber  derived  his  given  name  from  a  Judge  Chase, 
of  Massachusetts,  by  whom  his  father  was  reared  from  a 
boy,  and  who  chanced  to  visit  his  former  protege  soon 
after  his  son  was  born.  The  judge  himself  proposed  the 
christening,  and  the  parents  being  nothing  loth,  Heber 
Chase  Kimball  became  the  infant's  name. 

This  Judge  Chase,  though  presumably  "  learned  in 
the  law,"  like  many  of  his  class  in  those  primitive,  com- 
mon sense  days  was  not  above  following  the  humbler 
pursuits  of  life.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  taught  Heber's 
father  that  trade,  and  when  he  had  married,  helped  him 
to  establish  his  smithy  in  the  town  of  Sheldon. 

"At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,"  says 
Heber,  "  my  father  was  thirteen  years  old,  and  I  can 
remember  his  rehearsing  to  me  some  of  the  scenes  of 
the  war. 

"  He  was  captain  of  a  company  of  militia  in  Sheldon, 
and  wore  a  cocked  hat  of  the  old  English  style,  a  straight- 


2O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

bodied  coat,  and  short  breeches  with  a  knee  buckle,  long 
stockings,  and  Suwarrow  boots  with  a  pair  of  tassels. 

1  'He  was  partly  bald,  had  dark-brown  hair,  blue  eyes, 
sandy  whiskers  and  light  complexion ;  he  was  five  feet, 
eleven  inches  high,  and  weighed  two  hundred  pounds 
and  upwards. 

"He  engaged  in  farming  and  clearing  land,  burning 
the  wood  into  coal  and  ashes ;  he  had  also  a  forge  and 
trip-hammer,  in  the  manufacture  of  wrought  iron. 

"About  the  time  of  the  embargo,  before  the  last  war 
with  England,  my  father  lost  his  property,  as  it  was 
invested  in  salts,  potash  and  pearlash;  the  embargo, 
having  shut  down  the  gate  of  commerce  between  the 
United  States  and  England,  left  his  property  in  his  hands 
without  much  value." 

In  February,  1 8 1 1 ,  the  Kimballs  migrated  from  Ver- 
mont, and  settled  in  West  Bloomfield,  Ontario  County, 
New  York,  five  hundred  miles  from  their  former  home, 
where  the  head  of  the  family  reengaged  in  his  occupa- 
tions of  farmer  and  blacksmith,  to  which  he  now  added 
that  of  builder.  He  was  aided  in  his  new  venture  by 
Judge  Towsley,  of  Scipio,  Cayuga  County,  who  had 
employed  him  for  several  months  as  foreman  in  a  black- 
smith shop. 

Heber  thus  describes  the  journey  from  Sheldon  to 
West  Bloomfield,  with  incidents  of  their  subsequent 
experience  in  that  then  new  country : 

uMy  father  took  my  mother  and  six  children  in  a 
sleigh,  with  one  span  of  horses,  a  change  of  clothing  for 
each  of  us,  and  some  blankets  to  wrap  us  in ;  when  we 
reached  St.  Albans,  my  father  bought  each  of  his  boys  a 
hat,  which  was  the  first  hat  I  ever  had  on  my  head.  We 
traveled  on  Lake  Champlain,  on  the  ice,  and  the  wind 
being  very  high,  my  hat  was  blown  off  and  lost. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  21 

"  We  traveled  on  the  ice  up  to  Whitehall,  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  ten  miles,  where,  spring  being  open, 
he  traded  his  sleigh  for  a  wagon  and  proceeded  to  West 
Bloomfield. 

"  He  built  an  academy  in  West  Bloomfield,  also  two 
tavern  stands  and  several  private  dwellings ;  he  made 
nearly  all  of  the  edge  tools,  such  as  scythes,  augers,  axes, 
knives,  etc.,  also  plow-shares  and  agricultural  implements, 
for  the  country  around,  to  a  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty 
miles ;  and  sometimes  he  had  eight  forges  employed  at 
once. 

"He  continued  living  in  West  Bloomfield  during  the 
last  war'  with  England,  which  place  was  on  the  thorough- 
fare between  Albany  and  Buffalo,  on  what  was  called 
'the  public  turnpike,'  and  on  which  the  soldiery  passed 
during  the  war  (1812-15).  It  was  flourishing  times, 
there  being  plenty  of  business  and  money,  and  most 
men  in  business  became  involved,  so  that  when  the 
war  closed  bankruptcy  became  common,  as  every  mer- 
chant, tavern-keeper  and  grog-shop  had  a  banking  estab- 
lishment, and  issued  'shin-plasters'  from  one  cent  up  to 
five  dollars. 

"My  father  lost  the  greater  portion  of  his  property, 
which  broke  him  up  in  that  place.  He  then  moved  two 
and  one-half  miles  east,  half  way  between  East  and  West 
Bloomfield,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  a  Mr.  Stewart, 
near  a  small  lake  called  Stewart's  Pond ;  on  this  farm 
there  was  a  little  improvement.  Here  he  established 
blacksmithing,  built  a  large  tavern  stand,  barns  and  other 
out-houses,  and  once  more  set  out  an  orchard  of  various 
kinds  of  fruit  trees. 

"This  was  in  the  year  1816,  which  was  called  the 
cold  season ;  the  same  year  that  the  black  spot  was  seen 
on  the  sun.  The  following  year  we  had  little  to  subsist 


22  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

upon ;  for  some  three  weeks  we  gathered  milk  weeds, 
and  boiled  and  ate  them,  not  having  salt  to  put  on  them. 
It  was  with  difficulty  that  bread  could  be  procured." 

Evidently  the  elder  Kimball  was  a  man  of  force 
and  energy,  qualities  which  his  son  Heber  inherited,  and 
in  turn  transmitted  to  his  posterity.  The  Kimballs,  with 
scarcely  an  exception,  are,  in  this  respect,  of  just  such 
sterling  stuff  as  their  sire  and  grandsire,  and  invariably 
"show  the,  mettle  of  their  pasture,"  as  colonizers,  wher- 
ever their  lot  is  cast. 

The  limited  amount  of  schooling  that  Heber  received 
in  these  days  of  his  childhood  and  early  youth,  extended 
from  his  fifth  to  his  fourteenth  year,  and  was  of  the  qual- 
ity usually  found  in  the  primitive  village  schools  of  the 
day.  He  was  not  an  ardent  lover  of  books,  but  drew 
his  lessons  from  life  and  nature  in  all  their  multiplied 
and  varied  phases.  It  was  "about  the  time  of  the  great 
eclipse  in  1806"  that  he  commenced  going  to  school. 
The  eclipse  he  "  remembered  well,"  as  his  father  was 
about  starting  on  a  journey,  but  was  obliged  to  wait  on 
account  of  the  darkness. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  put  to  work  in  his 
father's  blacksmith  shop,  and  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
that  useful  trade.  When  he  was  nineteen,  his  father  hav- 
ing met  with  further  reverses,  he  was  thrown  entirely 
upon  his  own  resources,  and  now  began  to  taste  the  first 
bitter  experience  of  his  life. 

He  was  a  singular  compound,  in  his  nature,  of  cour- 
age and  timidity,  of  weakness  and  strength ;  uniting  a 
penchant  for  mirth  with  a  proneness  to  melancholy,  and 
blending  the  lion-like  qualities  of  a  leader  among  men, 
with  the  bashfulness  and  lamb-like  simplicity  of  a 
child. 

He  was  not  a  coward  ;  a  braver  man  probably  never 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  23 

lived  than  Heber  C.  Kimball.  His  courage,  however, 
was  not  of  that  questionable  kind  which  ' 'knows  no  fear." 
Rather  was  it  of  that  superior  order,  that  Christ-like 
bravery,  which  feels  danger  and  yet  dares  to  face  it.  He 
had  all  the  sensitiveness  of  the  poet — for  he  was  both  a 
poet  and  a  prophet  from  his  mother's  womb — and  inher- 
ited by  birthright  the  power  to  feel  pleasure  or  suffer 
pain,  in  all  its  exquisiteness  and  intensity. 

Hear  his  own  pathetic  story  of  his  early  hardships : 

"At  this  time,  I  saw  some  days  of  sorrow;  my  heart 
was  troubled,  and  I  suffered  much  in  consequence  of  fear, 
bashfulness  and  timidity.  I  found  myself  cast  abroad 
upon  the  world,  without  a  friend  to  console  my  grief.  In 
these  heart-aching  hours  I  suffered  much  for  want  of 
food  and  the  comforts  of  life,  and  many  times  went  two 
or  three  days  without  food  to  eat,  being  bashful  and  not 
daring  to  ask  for  it. 

"After  I  had  spent  several  weeks  in  the  manner 
before  stated,  my  oldest  brother,  Charles,  hearing  of  my 
condition,  offered  to  teach  me  the  potter's  trade.  I 
immediately  accepted  the  offer,  and  continued  with  him 
until  I  was  twenty-one. 

"While  living  with  my  brother,  he  moved  into  the 
town  of  Mendon,  Monroe  County,  New  York,  six  miles 
north  of  Bloomfield,  towards  the  city  of  Rochester, 
where  he  again  established  the  potter's  business." 

Here  Heber  finished  learning  his  trade  and  com- 
menced working  for  wages.  Six  months  later  he  pur- 
chased his  brother's  business  and  set  up  in  the  same  line 
for  himself,  in  which  he  prospered  for  upwards  of  ten 
years. 


CHAPTER    II. 

A  ROMANTIC  EPISODE HEBER's  MARRIAGE  WITH  VILATE  MUR- 
RAY  A   SOLDIER   AND   A   FREE   MASON HIS   STERN 

ARRAIGNMENT   OF   THE   ANCIENT   ORDER DEATH   OF 

HEBER'S  FATHER  AND  MOTHER. 

MEANWHILE,  the  sun  of  love  dawned  on  his  horizon. 
In  one  of  his  rides  he  chanced  to  pass,  one  warm  sum- 
mer day,  through  the  little  town  of  Victor,  in  the  neigh- 
boring County  of  Ontario.  Being  thirsty,  he  drew  rein 
near  a  house  where  a  gentleman  was  at  work  in  the  yard, 
whom  he  asked  for  a  drink  of  water.  As  the  one 
addressed  went  to  the  well  for  a  fresh  bucketful  of  the 
cooling  liquid,  he  called  to  his  daughter  Vilate,  to  fetch  a 
glass  from  the  house,  which  he  filled  and  sent  by  her  to 
the  young  stranger. 

Heber  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  beauty  and 
refined  modesty  of  the  young  girl,  whose  name  he  under- 
stood to  be  "Milaty,"  and  who  was  the  flower  and  pet 
of  her  father's  family.  Lingering  as  long  as  propriety 
would  permit,  or  the  glass  of  water  would  hold  out,  he 
murmured  his  thanks  and  rode  reluctantly  away. 

How  suggestive  this  incident,  of  Whittier's  pretty 
tale,  "  Maud  Muller:" 

"Thanks!  "  said  the  Judge,  "a  sweeter  draught 
From  a  fairer  hand  was  never  quaffed." 

It  was  not  long  before  he  again  had  "business"  in 
Victor,  and  again  became  thirsty  (?)  just  opposite  the 
house  where  the  young  lady  lived.  Seeing  the  same 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  25 

gentleman  in  the  yard  whom  he  had  accosted  before,  he 
hailed  him  and  asked  him  for  a  cup  of  water.  This  time 
the  owner  of  the  premises  offered  to  wait  upon  him  in 
person,  but  Heber,  with  the  blunt  candor  for  which  he 
was  noted,  nearly  took  the  old  gentleman's  breath  by 
saying:  "If  you  please,  sir,  I'd  rather  My-Laty  would 
bring  it  to  me." 

"Laty,"  as  she  was  called  in  the  household,  accord- 
ingly appeared  and  did  the  honors  as  before,  and 
returned  blushing  to  meet  the  merriment  and  good-na- 
tured badinage  of  her  sister  and  brothers. 

She,  however,  was  quite  as  favorably  impressed  with 
the  handsome  young  stranger,  as  he  with  her.  More 
visits  followed,  acquaintance  ripened  into  love,  and  on 
the  7th  of  November,  1822,  they  were  married. 

Vilate  Murray — for  that  was  her  name — was  the 
youngest  child  of  Roswell  and  Susannah  Murray.  She 
was  born  June  ist,  1806,  in  Florida,  Montgomery  County, 
New  York.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage  she  was  only 
in  her  seventeenth  year. 

The  Murrays,  like  the  Kimballs,  were  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  came  to  America  during  the  Seven  Years' 
War.  As  a  race  they  were  gentle,  kind-hearted,  intelli- 
gent and  refined.  Through  many  of  them  ran  a  vein  of 
poetry.  Vilate  herself  wrote  tender  and  beautiful  verses. 
She  was  an  ideal  wife  for  a  man  like  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
by  whom  she  was  ever  cherished  as  the  treasure  that  she 
was. 

Heber  was  now  past  twenty-one,  and  fast  developing 
into  as  fine  a  specimen  of  manhood  as  one  might  wish  to 
behold.  Tall  and  powerful  of  frame,  with  piercing  black 
eyes  that  seemed  to  read  one  through,  and  before  whose 
searching  gaze  the  guilty  could  not  choose  but  quail,  he 
moved  with  a  stateliness  and  majesty  all  his  own,  as  far 


26  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

removed  from  haughtiness  and  vain  pride,  as  he  from  the 
sphere  of  the  upstart  who  mistakes  scorn  for  dignity,  and 
an  overbearing  manner  as  an  evidence  of  gentle  blood. 
Heber  C.  Kimball  was  a  humble  man,  and  in  his 
humility,  no  less  than  his  kingly  stature,  consisted  his 
dignity,  and  no  small  share  of  his  greatness.  It  was  his 
intelligence,  earnestness,  simplicity,  sublime  faith  and 
unwavering  integrity  to  principle  that  made  him  great, 
not  the  apparel  he  wore,  nor  the  mortal  clay  in  which  his 
spirit  was  clothed.  Nevertheless,  nature  had  given  him 
a  noble  presence  in  the  flesh,  worthy  the  godlike  stature 
of  his  spirit. 

"A  combination  and  a  form,  indeed, 
Where  every  God  did  seem  to  set  his  seal 
To  give  the  world  assurance  of  a  man." 

The  son  and  grandson  of  a  soldier,  he  had  early 
enrolled  in.  an  independent  horse  company  of  the  New 
York  State  militia.  Under  Captain  Sawyer,  of  East 
Bloomfield,  and  his  successor  in  command,  he  trained 
fourteen  years ;  one  year  more  would  have  exempted 
him  from  further  military  service.  He  remarks,  with  hon- 
est pride,  that  he  was  never  brought  before  a  court  mar- 
tial or  found  delinquent  in  his  duty. 

Heber  was  also  a  Free  Mason.  In  1823  he  received 
the  first  three  degrees  of  masonry  in  the  lodge  at  Victor. 
The  year  following,  himself  and  five  others  petitioned  the 
chapter  at  Canandaigua,  the  county  seat  of  Ontario 
County,  for  the  degrees  up  to  the  Royal  Arch.  The  peti- 
tion was  favorably  considered,  but  before  it  could  be 
acted  upon  the  Morgan  anti-mason  riot  broke  out,  and 
the  Masonic  Hall,  where  the  chapter  met,  was  burned 
by  the  mob  and  all  the  records  consumed. 

Says  Heber,  "There  are  thousands  of  Masons  who 
lived  in  those  days,  who  are  well  aware  of  the  persecution 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  2  7 

and  unjust  proceedings  which  were  heaped  upon  them 
by  the  anti-Masons;  not  as  many  as  three  of  us  could 
meet  together,  unless  in  secret,  without  being  mobbed. 

"I  have  been  as  true  as  an  angel  from  the  heavens 
to  the  covenants  I  made  in  the  lodge  at  Victor. 

"  No  man  was  admitted  into  a  lodge  in  those  days 
except  he  bore  a  good  moral  character,  and  was  a  man 
of  steady  •  habits ;  and  a  man  would  be  suspended  for 
getting  drunk,  or  any  other  immoral  conduct.  I  wish 
that  all  men  were  masons  and  would  live  up  to  their  pro- 
fession ;  then  the  world  would  be  in  a  much  better  state 
than  it  is  now." 

Commenting  on  the  degeneracy  of  the  Ancient 
Order — the  old,  old  story  of  the  persecuted  becoming 
persecutors — he  continues: 

"I  have  been  driven  from  my  houses  and  posses- 
sions, with  many  of  my  brethren  belonging  to  that  fra- 
ternity, five  times,  by  mobs  led  by  some  of  their  leading 
men.  Hyrum  Smith  received  the  first  three  degrees  of 
masonry  in  Ontario  County,  New  York.  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  Smith  were  Master  Masons,  yet  they  were  mas- 
sacred through  the  instrumentality  of  some  of  the  leading 
men  of  that  fraternity,  and  not  one  soul  of  them  has  ever 
stepped  forth  to  administer  help  to  me  or  my  brethren 
belonging  to  the  Masonic  Institution,  or  to  render  us 
assistance,  although  bound  under  the  strongest  obliga- 
tions to  be  true  and  faithful  to  each  other  in  every  case 
and  under  every  circumstance,  the  commission  of  crime 
excepted." 

Yes,  Masons,  it  is  said,  were  even  among  the  mob 
that  murdered  Joseph  and  Hyrum  in  Carthage  Jail.  Jos- 
eph, leaping  the  fatal  window,  gave  the  masonic  signal 
of  distress.  The  answer  was  the  roar  of  his  murderers' 
muskets  and  the  deadly  balls  that  pierced  his  heart. 


28  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Heber  continued  to  prosper  in  business,  working 
in  his  pottery  in  summer,  and  at  his  forge  in  winter.  He 
purchased  land,  built  houses,  planted  orchards,  and  other- 
wise " situated  himself  to  live  comfortably." 

In  the  spring  of  1825,  he  gave  his  father  a  home 
with  him  in  Mendon.  The  old  gentleman  was  now  a 
widower,  his  wife,  Heber' s  mother,  having  died  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1824,  at  West  Bloomfield,  of  consumption.  Her 
husband  survived  her  a  little  over  a  twelve-month,  when 
he,  too,  fell  a  victim  to  the  same  malady. 

It  is  a  coincidence  worthy  of  note  that  the  deaths 
of  Heber  and  Vilate  were  also  about  one  year  apart,  she 
passing  away  first,  and  he,  like  his  father,  following  soon 
the  footsteps  of  his  beloved  partner  to  the  spirit  land. 

We  have  traced  his  life's  record  through  its  initial 
stages.  He  was  now  fairly  on  the  threshold  of  his 
remarkable  career. 


CHAPTER   III. 

HEBER'S  POETIC  NATURE — A  ROUGH  DIAMOND — EARLY  RELIG- 
IOUS     EXPERIENCE JOINS      THE      BAPTIST      CHURCH 

"  SIGNS    IN  THE  HEAVENS  ABOVE" HEBER    C.    KIMBALL 

AND    BRIGHAM  YOUNG THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL. 

Heber's  temperament  was  religious  and  poetical. 
Sociable  as  he  was,  and  even  bubbling  over  with  mirth, 
at  times,  his  soul  was  essentially  of  a  solemn  cast.  He 
loved  solitude,  not  with  the  selfish  spirit  of  the  misan- 
thrope, but  for  the  opportunities  it  gave  of  communing 
with  his  own  thoughts — a  pleasure  that  only  poet  minds 
truly  feel — and  of  listening  to  the  voice  of  God  and 
nature,  expressed  in  all  the  countless  and  varied  forms 
of  life. 

He  was  capable  of  sensing  fully — though  probably 
he  had  never  seen  or  heard — those  sublime  words  of  the 
poet: 

"  There  is  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods  ; 

There  is  a  rapture  on  the  lonely  shore; 
There  is  society,  where  none  intrudes, 

By  the  deep  sea,  and  music  in  its  roar. 

I  love  not  man  the  less,  but  nature  more, 
From  these  our  interviews ;  in  which  I  steal 

From  all  I  may  be,  or  have  been  before, 
To  mingle  with  the  universe  and  feel 
What  I  can  ne'er  express,  yet  cannot  all  conceal." 

True,  he  was  a  diamond  in  the  rough,  but  a  diamond, 
nevertheless,  for  all  of  its  incrustations.  Unlettered  and 
untaught,  save  in  nature's  school,  the  university  of 
experience,  where  he  was  an  apt  and  profound  scholar,  he 


3O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

was  possessed  of  marvelous  intuition,  a  genius  God- 
given,  which  needed  no  kindling  at  a  college  shrine  to 
prepare  it  for  the  work  which  providence  had  designed. 

Not  but  that  education  would  have  polished  the  gem, 
causing  it  to  shine  with  what  the  natural  eye  would  deem 
a  brighter  lustre ;  but  the  fact  remains  that  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  as  he  was,  not  as  he  might  have  been,  was  best 
adapted  for  the  divine  purpose,  the  career  marked  out  for 
him  by  the  finger  of  Deity. 

It  is  not  strange  that  a  nature  of  this  kind,  solemn, 
thoughtful  and  inspirational,  should  have  been  led  early 
to  seek  "an  anchor  for  the  soul,"  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  But  his  search  for  many 
years  was  in  vain ;  he  found  not  among  the  sects  of 
Christendom  the  precious  pearl  which  an  honest  soul 
will  sell  all  that  it  hath  to  obtain. 

"From  the  time  I  was  twelve  years  old,"  says'  he,  "I 
had  many  serious  thoughts  and  strong  desires  to  obtain 
a  knowledge  of  salvation,  but  not  finding  anyone  who 
could  teach  me  the  things  of  God,  I  did  not  embrace  any 
principles  of  doctrine,  but  endeavored  to  live  a  moral 
life.  The  priests  would  tell  me  to  believe  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  but  never  would  tell  me  what  to  do  to  be 
saved,  and  thus  left  me  almost  in  despair. 

"During  the  time  I  lived  in  Mendon,  I  mostly  at- 
tended the  meetings  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  was  often 
invited  to  unite  myself  with  them.  I  received  many 
pressing  invitations  to  unite  with  different  sects,  but  did 
not  see  fit  to  comply  with  their  desires,  until  a  revival 
took  place  in  our  neighborhood.  I  had  passed  through 
several  of  their  protracted  meetings  and  had  been  many 
times  upon  the  anxious  bench  to  seek  relief  from  the 
'bands  of  sin  and  death.'  But  no  relief  could  I  find  until 
the  meetings  were  passed  by. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  31 

"At  this  time  I  concluded  to  put  myself  under  the 
watch-care  of  the  Baptist  church  and  unite  myself  to 
them ;  as  soon  as  I  had  concluded  to  do  this,  the  Lord 
administered  peace  to  my  mind,  and  accordingly,  the 
next  day  I  went,  in  company  with  my  wife,  and  we  were 
baptized  by  Elder  Elijah  Weaver ;  and  we  partook  of  the 
sacrament  on  that  day  for  the  first  and  also  the  last  time 
with  them." 

Such  was  his  initiation  into  religion,  as  pertaining  to 
a  Christian  sectarian  church.  Though  not  in  accord  with 
the  Baptist  faith  in  all  its  teachings,  it  seemed  to  him 
to  be  nearest  right  according  to  the  Bible ;  probably 
from  the  stress  laid  upon  baptism  by  immersion,  mani- 
festly the  Bible  mode,  and  the  only  true  way  of  being 
"born  of  the  water."  Besides,  he  deemed  it  wise  to  put 
a  "guard"  upon  himself,  to  "keep  him  from  running  into 
evils." 

The  peace  of  mind  that  he  experienced,  as  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  Holy  One  upon  a  prudent  and  conscientious 
act,  was  but  the  prelude  and  prophecy  of  far  greater 
things  to  follow.  The  heavens  were  bestirring  them- 
selves. The  invisible  world  was  up  in  arms.  Truth  and 
Error  were  taking  the  field.  The  latter-day  conflict  had 
begun.  The  signs  of  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man 
were  showing  themselves  in  the  heavens. 

It  was  the  eventful  night  of  September  22nd,  1827. 
Says  Heber  C.  Kimball : 

"I  had  retired  to  bed,  when  John  P.  Greene,  who 
was  living  within  a  hundred  steps  of  my  house,  came  and 
waked  me  up,  calling  upon  me  to  come  out  and  behold 
the  scenery  in  the  heavens.  I  woke  up  and  called  my 
wife  and  Sister  Fanny  Young  (sister  to  Brigham  Young), 
who  was  living  with  us,  and  we  went  out-of-doors. 

"It  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful   starlight  nights, 


32  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

so  clear  that  we  could  see  to  pick  up  a  pin.  We  looked 
to  the  eastern  horizon,  and  beheld  a  white  smoke  arise 
toward  the  heavens ;  as  it  ascended  it  formed  itself  into  a 
belt,  and  made  a  noise  like  the  sound  of  a  mighty  wind, 
and  continued  southwest,  forming  a  regular  bow  dipping 
in  the  western  horizon.  After  the  bow  had  formed,  it 
began  to  widen  out  and  grow  clear  and  transparent,  of  a 
bluish  cast ;  it  grew  wide  enough  to  contain  twelve  men 
abreast. 

"In  this  bow  an  army  moved,  commencing  from  the 
east  and  marching  to  the  west ;  they  continued  marching 
until  they  reached  the  western  horizon.  They  moved  in 
platoons,  and  walked  so  close  that  the  rear  ranks  trod  in 
the  steps  of  their  file  leaders,  until  the  whole  bow  was 
literally  crowded  with  soldiers.  We  could  distinctly  see 
the  muskets,  bayonets  and  knapsacks  of  the  men,  who 
wore  caps  and  feathers  like  those  used  by  the  American 
soldiers  in  the  last  war  with  Britain ;  and  also  saw  their 
officers  with  their  swords  and  equipage,  and  the  clashing 
and  jingling  of  their  implements  of  war,  and  could  dis- 
cover the  forms  and  features  of  the  men.  The  most 
profound  order  existed  throughout  the  entire  army ;  when 
the  foremost  man  stepped,  every  man  stepped  at  the  same 
time ;  I  could  hear  the  steps.  When  the  front  rank 
reached  the  western  horizon  a  battle  ensued,  as  we  could 
distinctly  hear  the  report  of  arms  and  the  rush. 

"No  man  could  judge  of  my  feelings  when  I  beheld 
that  army  of  men,  as  plainly  as  ever  I  saw  armies  of  men 
in  the  flesh ;  it  seemed  as  though  every  hair  of  my  head 
was  alive.  This  scenery  we  gazed  upon  for  hours,  until 
it  began  to  disappear. 

"After  I  became  acquainted  with  Mormonism,  I 
learned  that  this  took  place  the  same  evening  that  Joseph 
Smith  received  the  records  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  from 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  33 

the  angel  Moroni,  who  had  held  those  records  in  his  pos- 
session. 

"John  Young,  sen.,  and  John  P.  Greene's  wife, 
Rhoda,  were  also  witnesses. 

"My  wife,  being  frightened  at  what  she  saw,  said, 
'  Father  Young,  what  does  all  this  mean  ? ' 

"'Why,  it's  one  of  the  signs  of  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  Man/  he  replied,  in  a  lively,  pleased  manner. 

"The  next  night  similar  scenery  was  beheld  in  the 
west  by  the  neighbors,  representing  armies  of  men  who 
were  engaged  in  battle." 

A  wonderful  foreshadowing,  truly,  of  the  warfare  to 
be  waged  between  the  powers  of  good  and  evil,  from 
the  time  Truth  sprang  from  earth  and  Righteous- 
ness looked  down  from  heaven  upon  the  boy  Joseph, 
predestined  to  bring  to  light  the  buried  records  of  the  past. 

In  Mendon  began  the  intimacy  and  friendship  of 
Heber  C.  Kimball  with  his  life-long  colleague,  Brigham 
Young.  The  Youngs  and  Greenes,  like  the  Kimballs, 
were  from  Vermont,  and  had  moved  into  Mendon  a  few 
months  prior  to  the  event  just  related.  In  religion  they 
were  Reformed  Methodists,  but,  being  in  lowly  circum- 
stances, were  looked  down  upon  by  the  proud  members 
of  the  flourishing  church  to  which  they  belonged.  They 
had  suffered  greatly  from  sickness,  and  had  seen  much 
sorrow  and  affliction. 

Heber's  generous  heart  and  that  of  his  noble  wife 
were  touched  with  sympathy  and  compassion  for  their 
situation.  Says  he:  "To  them  my  heart  was  united,  be- 
cause a  principle  had  existed  in  my  breast  from  earliest 
childhood,  to  plead  the  cause  of  suffering  innocence,  to 
go  on  the  side  of  the  oppressed  at  all  times ;  neither  do 
I  remember  to  have  ever  varied  from  this  fixed  principle 
at  any  time  in  my  life ;  I  have  many  times  turned  aside 


34  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

from  the  company  of  those  who  were  highly  esteemed  in 
the  world,  and  sought  the  society  of  the  poor  and  hum- 
ble, those  who  loved  the  ways  of  the  Lord  better  than 
the  praise  of  the  world." 

He  found  in  these  families,  which  were  related,  con- 
genial associates,  for  they  too  were  seekers  after  truth, 
and  truth  they  were  all  destined,  ere  many  days,  to  find. 

Sometime  in  the  fall  or  winter  of  1831,  about  three 
weeks  after  Heber  and  his  wife  had  joined  the  Baptist 
church,  five  Elders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Victor,  five 
miles  from  Mendon,  and  tarried  at  the  house  of  Phineas 
H.  Young.  They  were  Eleazer  Miller,  Elial  Strong, 
Alpheus  Gifford,  Enos  Curtis  and  Daniel  Bowen.  Hear- 
ing of  these  men,  Heber  was  prompted  by  curiosity  to 
visit  them,  "when,"  says  he,  "for  the  first  time  I  heard 
the  fullness  of  the  everlasting  gospel." 

The  glorious  news  of  a  restored  gospel  and  a  living 
priesthood,  commissioned  of  and  communicating  with  the 
heavens ;  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost  with  signs  fol- 
lowing the  believer,  as  in  days  of  old;  the  wondrous 
declaration  of  angels  revisiting  the  earth,  breaking  the 
silence  of  ages,  bringing  messages  from  another  world ; 
— all  this  fell  upon  the  heart  of  this  God-fearing  man, 
and  on  the  hearts  of  his  friends  and  companions,  like 
dew  upon  thirsty  ground.  As  the  voice  of  a  familiar 
spirit,  it  seemed  an  echo  from  the  far  past — something 
they  had  known  before. 

To  hear,  with  Heber,  was  to  believe.  He  was  con- 
vinced that  they  taught  the  truth,  and  was  constrained  to 
receive  their  testimony.  He  saw,  more  clearly  than  ever, 
that  he  had  embraced  but  a  portion  of  the  truth  in  the 
Baptist  faith  ;  that  the  creeds  of  Christendom,  the  relig- 
ions of  the  world,  were  but  remnants  of  the  everlasting 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  35 

gospel,  broken  off  fragments  of  that  grand  Rock  of  Ages, 
the  same  in  all  generations ;  mixtures  of  truth  and  error ; 
lesser  lights  at  best  in  the  broad  firmament  of  human 
faith ;  and  that  now,  when  the  Sun  had  once  more  arisen, 
the  stars  that  lit  the  night  must  pale  away. 

Both  Heber  and  Brigham  received  the  word  gladly, 
and  were  impelled  to  testify  of  its  divinity.  Then  the 
power  of  God  fell  upon  them. 

"On  one  occasion,"  says  Heber,  "Father  John 
Young,  Brigham  Young,  Joseph  Young  and  myself  had 
come  together  to  get  up  some  wood  for  Phineas  H. 
Young.  While  we  were  thus  engaged  we  were  ponder- 
ing upon  those  things  which  had  been  told  us  by  the 
Elders,  and  upon  the  saints  gathering  to  Zion,  when  the 
glory  of  God  shone  upon  us,  and  we  saw  the  gathering 
of  the  saints  to  Zion,  and  the  glory  that  would  rest  upon 
them ;  and  many  more  things  connected  with  that  great 
event,  such  as  the  sufferings  and  persecutions  that  would 
come  upon  the  people  of  God,  and  the  calamities  and 
judgments  that  would  come  upon  the  world. 

"These  things  caused  such  great  joy  to  spring  up  in 
our  bosoms  that  we  were  hardly  able  to  contain  our- 
selves, and  we  did  shout  aloud  *  Hosannah  to  God  and 
the  Lamb."' 

This  heavenly  vision,  vouchsafed  as  the  reward  of 
faith  and  pure  desires,  only  made  them  eager  to  know 
more  of  the  "marvelous  work  and  wonder"  which  the  God 
of  Israel  had  set  His  hand  to  perform,  in  fulfillment  of  the 
words  of  His  ancient  prophets.  The  Holy  Ghost  had 
fallen  upon  them,  as  on  Cornelius  of  old,  before  baptism. 
They  had  plucked  from  the  Tree  of  Life,  from  branches 
overhanging  the  wall,  luscious  fruit,  whose  sweetness  and 
flavor  made  them  long  to  enter  the  garden  and  more 
fully  satisfy  the  desire  of  their  souls. 


36  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Heber,  accordingly,  proposed  a  journey  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  state  from  whence  the  Elders  came,  where 
several  branches  of  the  Church  were  established.  It  was 
winter;  January,  1832.  Putting  his  horses  to  the  sleigh, 
he  and  his  companions  set  off  upon  the  journey,  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles.  The  party 
consisted  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Brigham  Young,  Phineas 
Young  and  the  wives  of  the  two  latter.  The  branch  they 
visited  was  in  Columbia,  Bradford  County;  that  from 
which  the  Elders  came,  in  Rutland,  Tioga  County. 

They  tarried  about  six  days,  attending  the  meetings 
of  the  Church,  witnessing  the  manifestations  of  the  gifts 
of  the  spirit,  such  as  speaking  in  tongues,  interpretations 
and  prophecy,  and  learning  more  of  the  nature  and  mis- 
sion of  the  great  latter-day  work.  They  returned  home 
rejoicing,  praising  God,  and  bearing  testimony  by  the 
way. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

HEBER  EMBRACES  MORMONISM A  BAPTISM  OF    FIRE DEATH 

OF    MIRIAM     YOUNG VILATE     KIMBALL     A    MOTHER    TO 

THE  ORPHANS HEBER  ORDAINED  AN  ELDER RESOLVES 

TO    VISIT    KIRTLAND. 

HEBER,  be  it  remembered,  was  a  potter,  and,  though 
fairly  well-to-do  in  the  world,  continued  to  labor  at  his 
trade  for  a  livelihood. 

One  day  in  April,  of  the  spring  following  his  visit  to 
Pennsylvania,  as  he  was  working  in  his  shop,  in  the  act 
of  forming  a  vessel  on  the  wheel,  Alpheus  Giftord 
entered.  This  Elder  was  then  on  his  second  mission  to 
those  parts,  in  company  with  others  of  his  brethren.  The 
conversation  turning  on  the  subject  of  the  gospel,  Heber 
said:  ''Brother  Alpheus,  I  am  ready  to  go  forward  and 
be  baptized." 

What  followed  is  thus  graphically  told.  Says  Heber: 
"I  arose,  pulled  off  my  apron,  washed  my  hands  and 
started  with  him,  with  my  sleeves  rolled  up  to  my 
shoulders,  and  went  a  distance,  of  one  mile,  where  he 
baptized  me  in  a  small  stream  in  the  woods.  After  I  was 
baptized  I  kneeled  down  and  he  laid  his  hands  upon  my 
head  and  confirmed  me  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  said  unto  me,  'In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  by  the  authority  of  the  holy  Priesthood,  receive  ye 
the  Holy  Ghost ; '  and  before  I  got  up  off  my  knees  he 
wanted  to  ordain  me  an  Elder ;  but  I  plead  with  him  not 
to  do  it,  for  I  felt  myself  unworthy  of  such  a  calling,  and 
such  an  office." 


38  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

This  event,  so  important  to  Heber  C.  Kimball  and 
his  posterity,  took  place  on  Monday,  the  fifteenth  of 
April,  1832.  Brigham  Young  had  been  baptized  the  day 
before,  by  Elder  Eleazer  Miller.  Two  weeks  later, 
Heber' s  wife,  Vilate,  was  baptized  by  Joseph  Young. 

A  branch  was  raised  up  in  Mendon  numbering  over 
thirty  souls ;  its  members  were  as  follows : 
John  Young,  sen.,  and  Mary  his  wife, 
Brigham  Young  and  Miriam  his  wife, 
Phineas  H.  Youngf  and  Clarissa  his  wife, 

o 

Joseph  Young, 

Lorenzo  D.  Young  and  Persis  his  wife, 

John  P.  Greene  and  Rhoda  his  wife  and  their  children, 

Joel  Sanford  and  Louisa  his  wife, 

William  Stillson  and  Susan  his  wife, 

Fanny  Young, 

Isaac  Flummerfelt,  wife  and  children, 

Ira  Bond  and  his  wife  Charlotte, 

Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Vilate  his  wife, 

Rufus  Parks, 

John  Morton  and  Betsey  his  wife, 

Nathan  Tomlinson  and  his  wife, 

Israel  Barlow  with  his  mother,  brothers  and  sisters. 

The  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  to  Heber  a 
veritable  "baptism  of  fire."  He  thus  describes  his 
remarkable  experience ; 

"Under  the  ordinances  of  baptism  and  the  laying 
on  of  hands,  I  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  the  disciples 
did  in  ancient  days,  which  was  like  a  consuming  fire.  I 
felt  as  though  I  sat  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  was  clothed 
in  my  right  mind,  although  the  people  called  me  crazy. 

"I  continued  in  this  way  for  many  months,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  my  body  would  consume  away ;  at  the 
same  time  the  scriptures  were  unfolded  to  my  mind  in 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  39 

such  a  wonderful  manner  that  it  appeared  to  me,  at 
times,  as  if  I  had  formerly  been  familiar  with  them.'-' 

Thus  did  the  Comforter,  the  spirit  of  truth,  bringing 
things  past  to  remembrance  and  showing  things  to  come, 
move  upon  the  heart  of  this  "mighty  man  of  valor," 
whom  the  Lord  was  raising  up  for  a  marvelous  future 
work.  One  of  the  weak  things  of  earth,  through  whom 
the  Omnipotent  would  yet  thresh  the  nations  by  the 
power  of  His  Spirit. 

The  branch  in  Mendon  began  to  flourish,  and  the 
gifts  of  the  spirit  were  poured  out  upon  its  members. 
This  branch  is  reputed  to  have  been  the  second  in  the 
Church  to  receive  the  gift  of  tongues ;  one  of  the 
branches  in  Pennsylvania  being  the  first  in  which  that  gift 
was  manifested. 

Such  a  pentecostal  renewal  could  scarcely  take  place 
without  a  corresponding  movement  of  opposition  on  the 
part  of  the  powers  of  darkness.  The  inevitable  was  at 
hand.  Satan  commenced  to  rage,  and  the  Saints  were 
annoyed  and  persecuted.  Heber's  former  friends  turned 
against  him.  His  creditors  combined  to  push  him  to  the 
wall.  During  one  week  five  or  six  executions  were  taken 
out  against  him.  His  brother  Solomon  was  the  only  one 
outside  the  Church,  willing  to  lend  him  a  helping  hand 
in  his  financial  troubles,  resulting  from  the  inimical 
actions  of  his  neighbors  and  old-time  associates.  His 
brother  Charles,  who  had  formerly  befriended  him,  was 
dead.  But  the  Lord  opened  his  way,  much  to  the  cha- 
grin of  his  persecutors,  and  he  obtained  money  to  meet 
his  liabilities,  so  that  none  of  his  property  was  sold  at 
auction. 

In  September  following  the  organization  of  the 
branch  in  Mendon,  Brigham  Young's  wife,  Miriam,  died. 
She  had  been  feeble  for  months,  but  in  her  expiring 


4-O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

moments,  filled  with  a  supernatural  vitality,  she  clapped 
her  hands  and  praised  God,  calling  upon  all  around  to 
join  her  in  so  doing.  She  continued  in  this  happy  state 
until  she  breathed  her  last,  moving  her  lips  in  prayer 
when  her  voice  could  no  longer  be  heard.  Heber 
remarks  that  the  death-bed  scene  of  this  zealous  and 
devoted  Saint  was  to  him  another  testimony  of  the  truth 
and  power  of  the  everlasting  gospel.  Vilate  Kimball 
took  charge  of  Miriam's  two  little  daughters,  and,  thence- 
forth, until  after  they  removed  from  Mendon,  the  families 
of  Brigham  and  Heber  were  as  one. 

In  the  meantime,  the  latter  had  been  ordained  an 
Elder,  under  the  hands  of  Joseph  Young,  and  labored 
with  him  and  Brigham  in  the  ministry.  They  visited 
Genesee,  Avon  and  Lyonstown,  baptizing  many  and 
building  up  branches  of  the  Church.  The  following 
incident,  related  by  Heber,  shows  how  powerfully  the 
Holy  Ghost  wrought  through  him  in  his  ministrations : 

"Brother  Ezra  Landon  preached  in  Avon  and  Gen- 
esee, baptized  eighteen  or  twenty,  and  being  afraid  to 
confirm  them  and  promise  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  requested 
me  to  confirm  them,  which  I  did  according  to  the  best  of 
my  knowledge,  pronouncing  but  a  few  words  on  the 
head  of  each  one,  and  invariably  saying,  'receive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. '  Immediately 
the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  them,  and  several  commenced 
speaking  in  tongues  before  they  arose  from  their  knees, 
and  we  had  a  joyful  time.  Some  ten  or  twelve  spoke  in 
tongues,  neither  of  whom  had  ever  heard  any  person 
speak  in  tongues  before,  they  being  the  first  baptized  in 
that  place." 

The  region  in  which  he  was  laboring  is  thus  interest- 
ingly described : 

"From  the  time  Father  Bosley  located  near  Avon, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  4! 

he  found  and  plowed  up  axes  and  irons,  and  had  suffic- 
ient to  make  his  mill  irons,  and  had  always  abundance  of 
iron  on  hand  without  purchasing.  . 

"In  the  towns  of  Bloomfield,  Victor,  Manchester, 
and  in  the  regions  round  about,  there  were  hills  upon  the 
tops  of  which  were  entrenchments  and  fortifications,  and 
in  them  were  human  bones,  axes,  tomahawks,  points  of 
arrows,  beads  and  pipes,  which  were  frequently  found ; 
and  it  was  a  common  occurrence  in  the  country  to  plow 
up  axes,  which  I  have  done  many  times  myself. 

"I  have  visited  the  fortifications  on  the  tops  of  those 
hills  frequently,  and  the  one  near  Bloomfield  I  have 
crossed  hundreds  of  times,  which  is  on  the  bluff  of  Hon- 
eyoye  River,  at  the  outlet  of  Honeyoye  Lake. 

"In  that  region  there  are  many  small  deep  lakes, 
and  in  some  of  them  the  bottom  has  never  been  found. 
Fish  abound  in  them. 

"The  hill  Cumorah  is  a  high  hill  for  that  country, 
and  had  the  appearance  of  a  fortification  or  entrench- 
ment around  it.  In  the  State  of  New  York,  probably 
there  are  hundreds  of  these  fortifications  which  are  now 
visible,  and  I  have  seen  them  in  many  other  parts  of  the 
United  States." 

Readers  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  will  remember 
that  in  this  very  region,  according  to  that  sacred  record, 
the  final  battles  were  fought  between  the  Nephites  and 
Lamanites.  At  the  hill  Cumorah,  the  Nephites  made 
their  last  stand  prior  to  their  utter  extermination,  A.  D., 

385. 

Thus  was  Heber  preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, above  the  graves  of  the  ancients  of  Israel,  whose 
records  with  the  fullness  of  that  Gospel,  and  the  relics  of 
their  prowess  and  civilization,  were  now  "whispering  from 
the  dust." 


42  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

But  another  scene  was  about  to  shift  in  his  life's 
drama.  He  had  planned  to  visit  Kirtland,  the  bosom  of 
the  Church,  and  home  of  Joseph  the  Prophet. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    LAND    OF     SHINEHAH ARRIVAL    OF     HEBER    AND    BRIG- 
HAM    IN    KIRTLAND THEIR    FIRST    MEETING    WITH  THE 

PROPHET THE     KIMBALLS     AND      YOUNGS     REMOVE     TO 

OHIO VEXATIOUS    SUITS    AND    MOB    VIOLENCE FALLEN 

ON    PERILOUS    TIMES. 

KIRTLAND,  at  the  time  arrived  at  in  our  narrative,  was 
the  head-quarters  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ^of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  The  home  of  the  Prophet  of  God  and  many 
of  the  leading  Elders  of  Israel,  it  was  also  the  spot  des- 
ignated by  revelation  where  the  first  temple  was  to  be 
built  in  this  dispensation. 

The  Church,  organized  at  Fayette,  Seneca  County, 
New  York,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1830,  had  entered  on  the 
third  year  of  its  existence,  and  the  Saints  throughout  the 
eastern  parts  had  been  commanded  to  gather  westward. 
Kirtland  and  its  vicinity,  or  "the  land  of  Shinehah,"  as 
it  is  named  in  revelation,  had  been  settled  as  a  stake  of 
Zion  since  early  in  1831,  and  from  there,  in  the  summer 
of  the  same  year,  had  gone  forth  a  colony  of  Saints  to 
purchase  and  occupy  "the  land  of  Zion,"  in  the  western 
confines  of  Missouri.  That  region  was  then  the  nation's 
frontier,  bordering  on  a  wilderness  inhabited  by  wild 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  43 

beasts  and  savages,  and  but  sparsely  peopled  itself  by 
whites  scarcely  less  ignorant  and  cruel. 

The  Gospel,  preached  by  the  first  missionaries  sent 
westward  from  New  York,  in  October,  1830,  had  taken 
a  firm  hold  among  the  honest-in-heart  of  Northern  Ohio. 
Among  those  who  had  embraced  the  new  faith — new, 
indeed,  and  wonderful  to  that  generation — were  Sidney 
Rigdon,  Edward  Partridge  and  Newel  K.Whitney.  The 
Pratts,  the  Whitmers,  and  other  noted  families  were 
already  numbered  among  the  followers  of  the  "Mormon" 
Prophet,  and  it  was  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Oliver  Cowdery  and 
other  Elders  who  had  first  brought  the  Gospel  to  Kirtland. 

The  new  branch  throve  so  rapidly  as  to  soon  eclipse 
in  importance  all  others;  an  event  no  doubt  divinely 
ordered,  as  the  Saints  at  large,  in  December,  1830,  were 
commanded  to  ''assemble  together  at  the  Ohio." 

Late  in  October,  or  early  in  November,  1832,  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  in  company  with  Brigham  and  Joseph 
Young,  arrived  in  Kirtland.  They  had  traveled  by  team 
a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles.  Their  first  meeting 
with  the  Prophet,  whom  they  had  come  so  far  to  see,  was 
on  the  8th  day  of  November.  Joseph  was  felling  trees 
in  the  forest  when  the  party  approached.  It  is  related 
that,  on  seeing  Brigham,  he  said;  "There  is  a  man  who 
will  yet  preside  over  this  Church." 

As  to  Heber,  the  heart  of  Joseph  was  at  once  knit 
with  his,  in  friendship  like  unto  that  of  David  and  Jona- 
than ;  and  this  feeling  of  brotherly  love,  like  a  golden 
chain,  uniting  these  two  noble  souls,  was  destined  to 
endure  unbroken  through  time  and  eternity. 

Says  Heber:  "We  saw  brother  Joseph  Smith  and  had 
a  glorious  time ;  during  which  Brother  Brigham  spoke  in 
tongues  before  Joseph,  this  being  the  first  time  he  had 
heard  anyone  speak  in  tongues.  He  rose  up  and  testi- 


44  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

fied  that  the  gift  was  from  God,  and  then  the  gift  fell 
upon  him  and  he  spoke  in  tongues  himself.  He  after- 
wards declared  it  was  the  pure,  or  Adamic  language  that 
he  spoke.  Soon  after  this  the  gift  of  tongues  commenced 
in  the  Church  at  Kirtland  generally.  We  had  a  precious 
season  and  returned  with  a  blessing  in  our  souls." 

In  the  fall  of  1833,  Elder  Kimball  disposed  of  his 
possessions  in  Mendon,  and  settled  his  affairs  prepara- 
tory to  gathering  to  the  bosom  of  the  Church.  He  had 
borne  faithful  testimony  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  place 
which  had  been  his  home  for  so  many  years,  but,  with 
few  exceptions,  they  had  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his  warn- 
ing words.  Heber  was  the  only  one  of  his  father's 
household  to  embrace  the  Gospel.  His  brother  Solomon, 
though  friendly,  and  at  one  time,  like  Agrippa,  "almost 
persuaded,"  did  not  come  within  the  fold. 

No  sooner  was  Heber  ready  to  start  Zionward,  than 
he  was  again  beset  by  petty  persecutions.  This  time 
they  were  not  only  malicious,  but  of  an  out  and  out  dis- 
lionest  character.  Notwithstanding  he  had  settled  all  his 
accounts,  and  paid  every  penny  that  he  owed — "  unless 
it  was  two  cents  to  one  man,  in  a  case  where  change 
could  not  be  procured" — and  left  debts  owing  to  him, 
uncollected,  to  the  amount  of  "some  hundred  dollars," 
attachments  were  issued  at  the  instance  of  some  of  his 
neighbors,  and  his  goods  seized  by  officers  of  the  law. 

Rather  than  be  delayed  by  a  law-suit,  in  which, 
owing  to  religious  prejudice,  he  had  little  hope  of 
receiving  fair  treatment,  he  settled  the  unjust  claims  and 
departed. 

His  family  at  this  time  consisted  of  himself  and  wife, 
and  their  two  children,  William  Henry  and  Helen  Mar. 
Judith  Marvin,  an  elder  daughter,  and  Roswell  Heber,  a 
younger  son — the  first  and  latest  born  of  the  household 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  45 

— had  died.  Brigham  Young  and  his  two  little  daughters 
went  in  the  same  wagon  with  the  Kimball  family  to  Kirt- 
land.  They  reached  their  destination  about  the  last  of 
October,  or  early  in  November.  They  first  occupied  a 
house  belonging  to  Elijah  Smith,  uncle  to  the  wife  of 
Bishop  N.  K.  Whitney;  but  Heber  soon  had  a  home  of 
his  own,  which  he  continued  to  share  with  his  friend  and 
brother  Brigham,  until  the  latter  procured  a  separate 
domicile. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  Brigham  was  the  builder 
of  Heber's  house  in  Kirtland,  he  being  a  carpenter  and 
joiner,  as  well  as  a  painter  and  glazier. 

1  'When  I  got  to  Kirtland,"  says  Elder  Kimball, 
"the  brethren  were  engaged  in  building  the  House  of 
the  Lord.  The  commandment  to  build  the  House  and 
also  the  pattern  of  it,  were  given  in  a  revelation  to 
Joseph  Smith,  jun.,  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  Frederick  G. 
Williams,  and  it  was  to  be  erected  by  a  stated  time. 
The  Church  was  in  a  state  of  poverty  and  distress,  in 
conseqence  of  which  it  appeared  almost  impossible  that 
the  commandment  could  be  fulfilled.  Soon  after  our 
arrival,  there  was  a  contribution  called  for  to  finish  the 
school-house  and  printing  office  ;  I  contributed  the  glass 
for  the  house,  and  I  gave  Brother  Hyrum  Smith  two 
hundred  dollars  for  the  building  of  the  temple." 

The  newly  arrived  pilgrims  had  fallen  on  perilous 
times.  Mobocracy  was  rife  and  rampant ;  persecution 
was  raging  against  the  Church,  both  in  Ohio  and  in 
Missouri.  The  infernal  regions  seemed  stirred  to  their 
depths  at  the  prospect  of  a  temple,  whose  walls,  now 
climbing  heavenward,  gave  promise  of  salvation  and 
deliverance  for  the  living  and  the  dead ;  the  unlocking  of 
prison  doors,  the  bursting  of  spirit  dungeons,  the  smiting 
off  of  fetters  from  the  limbs  of  the  slave  of  sin,  and  the 


46  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

ushering  forth  of  the  penitent  captive  into  the  life  and 
light  of  gospel  liberty.  Keys  were  about  to  be  restored 
whereby  the  heavens  would  be  brought  nearer  to  the 
earth,  the  prophets  of  the  past  would  minister  in  holy 
places  to  the  prophets  of  the  present,  and  the  cause  of 
human  redemption  receive  such  an  impetus  as  would 
shake  the  throne  of  Satan  to  its  foundations.  No  won- 
der the  dominions  of  Sheol  were  agitated. 

"Our  enemies,"  says  Heber,  "were  raging  and 
threatening  destruction  upon  us.  We  had  to  guard 
night  after  night,  and  for  weeks  were  not  permitted  to 
take  off  our  clothes,  and  were  obliged  to  lie  with  our 
fire-locks  in  our  arms,  to  preserve  Brother  Joseph's  life 
and  our  own.  Joseph  was  sued  before  a  magistrate's 
court  in  Painesville,  on  a  vexatious  suit.  I  carried  him 
from  Kirtland  to  Painesville,  with  four  or  five  others,  in 
my  wagon,  every  morning  for  five  days,  and  brought 
them  back  in  the  evening.  We  were  often  waylaid,  but 
managed  to  elude  our  enemies  by  rapid  driving  and  tak- 
ing different  roads.  Esquire  Bissell  defended  the  Prophet 
and  he  came  off  victorious. 

"At  this  time  our  brethren  in  Jackson  County,  Mis- 
souri, were  also  suffering  great  persecution  ;  about  twelve 
hundred  were  driven,  plundered  and  robbed,  their  houses 
burned,  and  some  of  the  brethren  were  killed. 

"Mobs  were  organized  around  Kirtland,  who  were 
enraged  against  us,  ready  to  destroy  us." 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  with  the  Church  of  the 
living  God,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1833.  Such  was  the 
nature  of  the  action  upon  which  the  hero  of  this  history 
had  entered.  But  he  was  of  the  gold,  not  the  dross  of 
the  earth,  and  passed  through  the  fire,  purified,  yet  not 
consumed. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE     GATHERING     OF    THE    TITANS HEBER's    TESTIMONY    OF 

JOSEPH    AND    THE    TWELVE THEIR    MIGHTY    MISSION 

THE    TEST    OF    FAITH ZION's    CAMP. 

JOSEPH,  Brigham  and  Heber  together  in  Kirtland! 
By  what  strange  fatality  were  these  mighty  lives  thus 
interwoven  ?  We  have  seen  how  Brigham  and  Heber 
came  together,  and  how,  from  thenceforth,  the  currents 
of  their  lives  and  fortunes  ran  parallel.  Now  they  were 
joined  with  Joseph,  their  prophet  chief,  like  streams  that 
swell  a  river. 

Interesting  is  it  also,  if  only  as  a  coincidence,  that 
so  many  of  the  leading  spirits  of  the  latter-day  work 
should  have  been  natives  of  Vermont — a  diadem  for 
thee,  proud  State,  and  one  whicji  thou  wilt  prize  in 
coming  time  ! — from  whence  scattered,  ere  acquaintance 
with  the  Gospel  or  with  each  other  began,  to  meet  as 
co-laborers  in  the  same  great  cause,  among  the  hills  and 
dales  of  Northern  Ohio.  As  though  the  heavens  had 
decreed  their  lives  should  thus  commingle. 

And  the  heavens  had  so  decreed.  It  was  not 
chance,  it  was  destiny  "shaping  their  ends,"  and  fulfill- 
ing her  mission  in  their  behalf.  And  though  from  the 
ends  of  the  earth — what  matter  names  or  nativity? — it 
had  been  the  same.  "He  that  scattered  Israel  will 
gather  him."  From  all  nations  that  fated  blood,  when 
goes  Jehovah's  fiat  forth,  like  the  rain-drops  sprinkled 
upon  the  hills,  must  trickle  back  to  the  Ocean  whence  it 
came. 


48  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

It  was  a  coalescing  of  divine  affinities,  the  relinking 
of  a  spirit  chain,  which,  though  it  often  part,  is  never 
broken,  and  though  seemingly  divided,  forever  insepar- 
able. 

"Are  you  ever  going  to  be  prepared  to  see  God, 
Jesus  Christ,  His  angels,  or  comprehend  His  servants, 
unless  you  take  a  faithful  and  prayerful  course?" 
"Did  you  actually  know  Joseph  Smith?" 
The  questions  are  Heber  C.  Kimball's,  addressed  in 
later  years  to  a  congregation  of  the  Saints. 

"No,"  he  answers  for  them,  and  continues  : 

"Do  you  know  Brother  Brigham?     No." 

•'Do  you  know  Brother  Heber?     No  ;  you  do  not." 

"  Do  you  know  the  Twelve  ?     You  do  not ;  if  you 

did  you  would  begin  to  know  God,  and  learn  that  those 

men  who  are  chosen  to  direct  and  counsel  you,  are  near 

kindred  to  God  and  to  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  keys,  power 

and  authority  of  the  kingdom  of  God  are  in  that  lineage," 

This,  then,  was  the  purpose,  the  divine  intending,  for 

which  they  were  nqw  in  conjunction ;  "noble  and  great 

ones,"  great   in   the   heavens  and  great  upon  the  earth, 

ordained  as   "rulers"   ere  morning  stars  sang  gladsome 

greeting,  or  Sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy  around  the  cradle 

of  the  infant  world.    This,  the  object  of  their  descent  from 

celestial  empires ;  to  build  up  a  Kingdom  unto  God,  and 

prepare  the  world  for  the  coming  of  Him  "whose  right 

it  is  to  reign."     Jewels  from  Jehovah's  diadem,  diamonds 

in  the  dust,  unseen  of  saint  or  sinner  in  all  their  lustre, 

concealed  from  a  world  unworthy  of  the  light  it  could  not 

comprehend. 

Had   Heber' s  inspired   mind   probed   the  secret  of 

Joseph's  thought,  expressed  in  his  own  oft-quoted  words : 

"Would  to  God,  brethren,  I  could  tell  you  who  I  am!" 

As  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator  to   the   Church  of 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  49 

Jesus  Christ,  its  president  and  earthly  head,  and  holder 
of  the  keys  of  the  last  dispensation,  Joseph  was  already 
in  the  high  and  holy  office  for  which  he  was  predestined 
and  fore-ordained.  Not  so,  Brigham  ;  not  so,  Heber; 
not  so  their  apostolic  compeers.  A  trial  of  their  faith 
was  first  necessary,  a  trial  now  near  at  hand,  to  prove 
them  worthy  in  the  flesh  of  the  great  calling  whereunto 
they  were  called  in  the  eternal  councils. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1834,  came  a  command- 
ment from  the  Almighty  unto  His  prophet,  to  "gather 
up  the  strength  of  His  house,"  and  "go  up  and  redeem 
Zion;"  in  other  words,  to  recover  from  the  hands  of  a 
fierce  and  merciless  mob  the  lands  in  Jackson  County, 
Missouri,  from  which  the  Saints  had  been  driven. 

Such  were  the  origin  and  object  of  Zion's  Camp. 
Such,  the  nature  of  the  perilous  duty  laid  upon  them. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    REDEMPTION     OF     ZION ENOCH'S     CITY     TO     RETURN 

OBJECT  OF  THE  UNITED  ORDER CAUSE  OF  THE  JACK- 
SON COUNTY  EXPULSION  -  -  THE  WHEAT  FROM  THE 
CHAFF. 

THE  redemption  of  Zion  !  The  building  of  the  new 
Jerusalem  ! 

Theme  of  the  ancient  prophets  and  glory  of  the 
latter  days  ! 

Such  was  the  sublime  mission  given  to  the  Saints  of 
the  Most  High.  Thus  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  con- 
cerning it,  March,  1831  : 


SO  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

"Wherefore,  I,  the  Lord,  have  said,  gather  ye  out 
from  the  eastern  lands,  assemble  ye  yourselves  together 
ye  elders  of  my  Church  ;  go  ye  forth  into  the  western 
countries  ;  *  * 

"And  with  one  heart  and  with  one  mind,  gather  up 
your  riches  that  ye  may  purchase  an  inheritance  which 
shall  hereafter  be  appointed  unto  you, 

"  And  it  shall  be  called  the  New  Jerusalem,  a  land 
of  peace,  a  city  of  refuge,  a  place  of  safety  for  the  Saints 
of  the  Most  High  God  ; 

"And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  there,  and  the 
terror  of  the  Lord  also  shall  be  there,  insomuch  that  the 
wicked  will  not  come  unto  it,  and  it  shall  be  called  Zion. 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  among  the  wicked,  that 
every  man  that  will  not  take  his  sword  against  his  neigh- 
bor, must  needs  flee  unto  Zion  for  safety. 

"And  there  shall  be  gathered  unto  it  out  of  every 
nation  under  heaven  ;  and  it  shall  be  the  only  people 
that  shall  not  be  at  war  one  with  another. 

"And  it  shall  be  said  among  the  wicked,  let  us  not 
go  up  to  battle  against  Zion,  for  the  inhabitants  of  Zion 
are  terrible  ;  wherefore  we  cannot  stand. 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  righteous  shall 
be  gathered  out  from  among  all  nations,  and  shall  come 
to  Zion,  singing  with  songs  of  everlasting  joy." 

With  this  glorious  object  in  view,  this  sublime  motive 
firing  their  souls  and  filling  their  hearts  with  holy  zeal, 
the  Saints,  in  the  summer  of  1831,  had  commenced 
gathering  upon  the  land  of  Zion  —  Jackson  County, 
Missouri,  the  chosen  site  of  the  great  city  and  temple  of 
God.  Their  purpose,  to  fulfil  prophecy,  to  found  the 
modern  Zion,  New  Jerusalem,  capital  city  of  the  king- 
dom of  God.  A  counterpart  of  the  Zion  of  Enoch, 
sanctified  of  old  and  taken  into  the  heavens,  to  return  in 
latter  times  as  a  leaven  of  righteousness,  to  leaven 
this  lump  of  clay,  the  mother  earth  of  our  mortality, 
and  make  it  like  unto  itself,  and  in  due  time  a  glori- 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  51 

fied   planet,    purified,    redeemed,    and   from  sin  forever 
free. 

To  prepare  the  world  for  that  supreme  hour  "when 
the  Lord  shall  bring"  again  Zion,"  was  and  is  the  mission 
of  the  Saints  of  latter  days.  And  this  that  the  scripture 
might  be  fulfilled,  which  says  : 

"  The  Lord  hath  brought  down  Zion  from  above. 
"The  Lord    hath  brought  up    Zion  from   beneath. 
"  The  earth  hath  travailed    and  brought  forth  her 
strength : 

"And  truth  is  established  in  her  bowels  : 
"  And  the  heavens  have  smiled  upon  her  : 
"And  she  is  clothed  with  the  glory  of  her  God: 
"  For  he  stands  in  the  midst  of  his  people." 

The  meeting  of  the  Zions  !  The  marriage  of  the 
worlds  !  Zion  from  beneath,  the  type  of  truth  from  earth, 
embracing  Zion  from  above,  the  symbol  of  righteous- 
ness from  heaven. 

"  And  they  twain  shall  be  one  !  " 

Preparatory  to  this  miraculous  event,  and  indeed  to 
render  it  possible,  the  order  of  Enoch,  the  system  of 
divine  economy  whereby  the  Zion  of  the  ancients  was 
redeemed  and  sanctified,  had  been  newly  revealed  to 
the  Zion-builders  of  the  last  days. 

What  says  Moses  of  Enoch  and  his  city  ? 

"  And  the  Lord  called  his  people  Zion,  because  they 
were  of  one  heart  and  one  mind,  and  dwelt  in  righteous- 
ness ;  and  there  was  no  poor  among  them." 

Oh,  the  sweetness  of  those  simple  words  !  Oh,  the 
sublimity  of  the  picture  they  portray  !  Liberty,  equality, 
fraternity  !  This  is  Zion — THE  PURE  IN  HEART  ! 

But  the  Saints  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  were  not 
all  that  the  Lord  requires  of  a  people  chosen  to  execute 
a  purpose  so  sacred,  so  sublime.  "There  were  jarrings, 


52  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

and  contentions,  and  envyings,  and  strifes,  and  lustful  and 
covetous  desires  among  them ;  therefore  by  these  things 
they  polluted  their  inheritances."  Then  was  the  lash  of 
the  Philistine  applied,  and  they  were  driven  forth  from* 
the  goodly  land.  Satan  hath  his  mission,  as  well  as 
Christ. 

Be  it  not  inferred,  however,  that  these  hapless  victims 
of  mobocratic  tyranny  were  utterly  wicked  and  depraved, 
or  that  all  were  equally  culpable  in  the  eyes  of  Him, 
who,  to  punish  the  transgressors,  permitted  their 
enemies  to  come  against  them.  With  all  their  faults 
they  were  better  far  than  their  oppressors,  more  than 
the  peers,  in  every  Christian  virtue,  of  the  people  of 
the  world  around  them.  Yet,  judged  by  the  higher  law, 
the  Gospel  standard,  which  the  world  had  not  received, 
and  were  not  under  the  same  obligation  to  obey,  these 
"children  of  the  Light"  were  found  remiss  in  many 
things. 

The  Kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a  field  of 
grain,  gathered  unto  the  threshing-floor.  The  purpose 
of  divine  punishment  is  to  purify.  Upon  the  wheat  and 
the  chaff,  alike,  fell  the  iron  flail  of  persecution. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    ZION'S    CAMP  EXPEDITION JOSEPH    AS    A    PROPHET-GEN- 
ERAL  FINDING  OF  THE  BONES  OF  ZELPH,  THE  ANCIENT 

REBELLION    IN    THE    CAMP JOSEPH     PREDICTS     A 

SCOURGE — HEBER'S  FAILURE  AS  A  LAUNDERER — ZION'S 
CAMP  SAVED  BY  A  STORM. 

"  GATHER  up  the  strength  of  my  house,  and  go  up 
and  redeem  Zion  !"  Such  was  the  burden  of  God's  com- 
mand to  Joseph  and  his  brethren  in  Kirtland.  Such 
was  their  interpretation  of  the  divine  message  and  call. 

Bidding  farewell  to  his  family  and  friends,  whom  he 
hardly  dared  hope  he  would  ever  meet  again  in  the  flesh, 
Heber  enrolled  himself  in  the  little  band  of  heroes  who 
set  out  from  Kirtland  early  in  May,  1834.  They  were 
about  one  hundred  strong,  well  armed  and  equipped, 
and  were  led  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  in  person.  Subse- 
quently their  number  increased  to  two  hundred  and 
five  souls.  But  Heber  will  tell  his  own  story  of  that 
eventful  pilgrimage.  Says  he  : 

"  Brother  Joseph  received  a  revelation  concerning 
the  redemption  of  Zion,  part  of  which  remains  to  be 
fulfilled.  He  sent  messengers  to  the  east  and  to  the 
west  and  to  the  north  and  to  the  south,  to  gather  up  the 
Elders,  and  he  gathered  together  as  many  of  the  brethren 
as  he  conveniently  could,  with  what  means  they  could 
spare,  to  go  up  to  Zion,  to  render  all  the  assistance  that 
we  could  to  our  afflicted  brethren.  We  gathered  cloth- 
ing and  other  necessaries  to  carry  up  to  our  brethren 
and  sisters  who  had  been  plundered ;  and  putting  our 
horses  to  the  wagons,  and  taking  our  firelocks  and 


54  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

ammunition,  we  started  on  our  journey ;  leaving  only 
Oliver  Cowdery,  Sidney  Rigdon  and  a  few  aged  work- 
men who  were  engaged  on  the  temple ;  so  that  there 
were  very  few  men  left  in  Kirtland.  Our  wagons  were 
about  full  with  baggage,  etc.,  consequently  we  had  to 
travel  on  foot. 

"We  started  on  the  5th  of  May,  and  truly  this  was 
a  solemn  morning  to  me.  I  took  leave  of  my  wife  and 
children  and  friends,  not  knowing  whether  I  would  see 
them  again  in  the  flesh,  as  myself  and  brethren  were 
threatened  both  in  that  country  and  in  Missouri  by  ene- 
mies, that  they  would  destroy  us  and  exterminate  us 
from  the  land. 

"There  were  about  one  hundred  brethren  in  our 
company  who  started  for  Zion.  These  brethren  were 
nearly  all  young  men,  and  nearly  all  Elders,  Priests, 
Teachers  and  Deacons.  The  second  day  we  arrived  at 
New  Portage,  being  about  forty  miles,  at  which  place  on 
the  7th  we  made  regulations  for  traveling,  and  appointed 
a  paymaster,  whose  name  was  Frederick  G.  Williams, 
and  put  all  our  moneys  into  a  general  fund.  Some  of 
the  brethren  had  considerable,  and  others  had  little  or 
none,  yet  all  became  equal.  While  here  one  of  my 
horses  received  a  kick  from  another  horse,  which  obliged 
me  to  trade  away  my  span,  and  get  another  span  of  older 
horses,  from  Jonathan  Taylor.  We  then  proceeded  on 
our  journey  twelve  miles  to  the  Chippeway  River.  Here 
we  pitched  our  tents  under  a  fine  grove. 

"The  next  day  we  were  divided  into  companies  of 
twelve  each,  and  captains  were  appointed  over  each 
company.  I  organized  my  company  in  the  following 
manner,  appointing  two  to  attend  to  cooking,  two  to 
see  that  fires  were  made,  two  to  prepare  the  tent  at 
night  and  likewise  the  bedding,  and  also  to  strike  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  55 

tent  each  morning,  two  to  fetch  and  provide  water,  one 
to  do  the  running,  two  to  attend  the  horses,  see  that  the 
wagon  was  greased  and  everything  prepared  for  starting. 
My  business  was  to  see  that  the  company  was  provided 
for,  and  that  all  things  were  done  in  order.  Our 
living  generally  was  very  good,  being  able  to  buy  bread 
from  the  bakers  or  inhabitants  on  the  way  through  the 
settled  part  of  the  country.  After  this  we  purchased 
flour  and  had  to  bake  our  own  bread.  We  sometimes 
had  to  live  on  Johnny  cake  and  corn  dodger,  and  some- 
times our  living  was  scant.  Every  night  before  we  went 
to  bed  we  united  in  our  tent  and  offered  up  our  prayers 
before  the  Lord  for  protection.  This  was  done  by  all 
the  companies,  at  the  sound  of  a  trumpet ;  and  at  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet  in  the  morning,  every  man  was  upon 
his  knees,  each  one  being  called  upon  in  his  turn  to  be 
mouth  in  prayer.  The  same  order  was  attended  to  in 
each  tent.  There  were  general  officers  appointed  over 
the  company,  viz:  Joseph  Smith,  commander;  Dr.  F.  G. 
Williams,  quartermaster  and  historian  of  the  camp ; 
Zerubbabel  Snow  and  Nathan  Tanner,  commissaries  of 
subsistence;  Sylvester  Smith,  adjutant;  and  Roger  Orton, 
captain  of  the  guard. 

"On  the  8th  we  started  on  our  journey,  and  on  Sat- 
urday the  roth  we  passed  through  Mansfield,  and  camped 
for  the  Sabbath  in  Richfield.  On  Sunday  the  nth 
Brother  Sylvester  Smith  preached  and  the  sacrament  of 
bread  and  wine  was  administered  to  the  company.  On 
Monday  the  i2th  we  crossed  over  the  Sandusky  plains, 
and  through  the  Indian  settlements.  We  then  passed 
through  a  long  range  of  beech  woods  where  the  roads 
were  very  bad.  In  many  instances  we  had  to  fasten 
ropes  to  the  wagons  to  haul  them  out  of  the  sloughs  and 
mud  holes  by  hand.  While  passing  through  the  woods 


56  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

the  brethren  scattered  on  each  side  of  the  road  and  went 
to  hunting  for  wild  game.  We  came  to  Belle  Fontaine, 
where  we  first  discovered  refractory  feelings  in  Sylvester 
Smith. 

"We  passed  through  a  very  pleasant  country  to 
Dayton,  Ohio,  where  we  crossed  the  Miami  river,  which 
is  a  very  beautiful  stream ;  the  water  being  only  about 
two  and  a  half  feet  deep,  most  of  the  brethren  waded  it. 
We  arrived  at  this  place  on  Friday  the  1 6th.  The  breth- 
ren were  in  good  spirits,  and  the  Lord  was  with  us.  On 
Saturday  the  i;th  we  passed  into  Indiana,  just  over  the 
line  betwixt  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  where  we 
camped  for  the  Sabbath,  having  traveled  forty  miles  that 
day;  our  feet  were  very  sore  and  blistered,  and  our 
stockings  were  wet  with  blood,  the  weather  being  very 
warm.  I  walked  most  of  the  journey,  letting  the  lame 
and  footsore  ride  in  my  stead.  I  frequently  invited  the 
Prophet  to  ride,  seeing  him  lame  and  footsore.  On  such 
occasions  he  would  bless  me  and  my  team  with  a  hearty 
good  will.  My  team  performed  the  journey  very  well. 

"During  the  nigh.t  a  spy  from  the  enemy  attempted 
to  get  into  our  camp,  but  was  stopped  by  the  guard. 
We  had  our  sentinels  or  guards  appointed  every  night, 
on  account  of  spies  continually  harrassing  us.  This 
evening  there  was  quite  a  difficulty  between  some  of  the 
brethren  and  Sylvester  Smith,  on  occasion  of  which 
Brother  Joseph  was  called  to  decide  the  matter.  Find- 
ing quite  a  rebellious  spirit  in  Sylvester  Smith,  and  to 
some  extent  in  others,  he  said  they  would  meet  with 
misfortunes,  difficulties  and  hindrances,  'and  you  will 
know  it  before  you  leave  this  place ;'  exhorting  them  to 
humble  themselves  before  the  Lord,  and  become  united, 
that  they  might  not  be  scourged.  A  very  singular  occur- 
rence took  place  that  night  and  the  next  day,  concerning 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  57 

our  teams.  On  the  following  morning  when  we  arose 
we  found  almost  every  horse  in  the  camp  so  badly  found- 
ered that  we  could  scarcely  lead  them  a  few  rods  to  the 
water.  The  brethren  then  deeply  realized  the  effects  of 
discord.  When  Brother  Joseph  learned  the  fact  he 
exclaimed  to  the  brethren  that  for  a  witness  that  God 
overruled  and  had  His  eye  upon  them,  that  all  those  who 
would  humble  themselves  before  the  Lord  should  know 
that  the  hand  of  God  was  in  this  misfortune,  and  their 
horses  should  be  restored  to  health  immediately ;  and  by 
twelve  o'clock  the  same  day  the  horses  were  as  nimble 
as  ever,  with  the  exception  of  one  of  Sylvester  Smith's 
which  soon  afterwards  died. 

"May  2 ist  we  passed  through  Indianapolis,  the  cap- 
ital of  Indiana,  where  we  crossed  White  River.  The 
teams  forded  the  river,  and  most  of  the  brethren  crossed 
over  the  new  bridge  which  was  unfinished.  We  had 
been  threatened  by  our  enemies  that  we  should  not  go 
through  the  town,  but  we  passed  through  unmolested. 
Everything  appeared  to  be  in  perfect  silence  as  we  went 
through,  although  the  people  looked  aghast  as  if  fear 
had  come  upon  them.  At  night  we  camped  on  an  open 
spot,  the  top  of  an  eminence.  Here  we  lost  one  horse. 

"On  Sunday,  the  25th,  we  arrived  at  the  edge  of 
Illinois  ;  we  had  no  meeting,  but  attended  to  washing 
and  baking  to  prepare  for  our  journey.  On  the  26th  we 
resumed  our  march.  At  night  we  were  alarmed  by  the 
continual  threatening  of  our  enemies.  I  would  here 
remark  that  notwithstanding  so  many  threats  were 
thrown  out  against  us,  we  did  not  fear,  nor  hesitate  to 
proceed  on  our  journey,  for  God  was  with  us,  and  angels 
went  before  us,  and  we  had  no  fear  of  either  men  or 
devils.  This  we  know  because  they  (the  angels)  were  seen. 
On  Tuesday  we  came  to  the  Okaw,  a  fork  of  the  Kas- 


58  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

kaskia  River,  where  we  found  two  canoes  ;  we  lashed' 
them  together  and  they  served  as  a  kind  of  ferry  boat. 
We  took  our  baggage  out  of  our  wagons,  put  it  on  board 
and  ferried  it  across  ;  then  took  our  wagons  and  horses, 
and  swam  them  across,  and  when  they  got  to  the  oppo- 
site shore  the  brethren  fastened  ropes  into  the  tongues 
of  the  wagons  and  helped  the  horses  and  wagons  out  of 
the  river.  Others  felled  trees  and  laid  them  across  the 
river,  and  thus  helped  themselves  over.  In  this  way  we 
all  crossed  in  safety.  Wednesday,  the  28th,  we  reached 
the  township  of  Decatur,  where  we  lost  another  horse. 
Saturday  the  3ist,  at  night,  we  camped  one  mile  from 
Jacksonville  and  prepared  for  the  Sabbath. 

"On  Sunday,  June  ist,  we  had  preaching  all  day, 
and  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  came  out  to  hear. 
Brother  John  S.  Carter  preached  in  the  morning.  By 
this  time  the  inhabitants  began  to  flock  down  in  com- 
panies to  hear  the  preaching,  as  they  understood  we 
were  professors  of  religion  and  had  a  meeting  in  the 
morning.  Brother  Joseph  then  proposed  that  some  of 
the  brethren  should  set  forth  different  portions  of  the 
Gospel  in  their  discourses.  He  called  upon  Brother 
Joseph  Young  to  preach  upon  the  principles  of  free  salva- 
tion. He  then  called  upon  Brother  Brigham  Young  to 
speak,  who  set  forth  baptism  as  essential  to  salvation. 
He  was  followed  by  Brother  Orson  Hyde,  who  proved 
by  the  scriptures  that  baptism  was  for  the  remission  of 
sins.  Lyman  E.  Johnson  spoke  at  some  length  upon  the 
necessity  of  men  being  upright  in  their  walk,  and  keep- 
ing the  Sabbath  day  holy.  Brother  Orson  Pratt  delivered 
an  excellent  discourse  on  the  principles  of  the  final 
restoration  of  all  things.  The  services  of  the  day  were 
concluded  by  a  powerful  exhortation  from  Eleazer  Miller. 
His  voice  was  said  to  be  heard  a  mile  and  a  half.  I  would 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  59 

here  remark  concerning  Brother  Eleazer  Miller,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  that  brought  the  Gospel  to  us  at  Men- 
don,  New  York  :  when  he  used  to  retire  to  a  little  grove 
near  my  house  for  secret  prayer,  he  would  get  so  filled 
with  the  Spirit  and  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  he 
would  burst  out  in  a  loud  voice  so  that  he  was  heard  by 
the  surrounding  inhabitants  for  more  than  a  mile.  After 
the  services  were  over,  many  strangers  were  in  our 
camp  making  remarks  upon  the  preaching  which  they 
had  heard.  They  said  that  Brother  Joseph  Young,  by 
his  preaching,  they  should  judge  was  a  Methodist.  They 
thought  Brother  Brigham  Young  was  a  close  communion 
Baptist.  Brother  Orson  Hyde  they  supposed  was  a 
Campbellite  or  reformed  Baptist.  Brother  Lyman  E. 
Johnson  they  supposed  was  a  Presbyterian,  and  Brother 
Orson  Pratt  a  Restorationer.  They  enquired  if  we  all 
belonged  to  one  denomination.  The  answer  was,  we 
were  some  of  us  Baptists,  some  Methodists,  some  Pres- 
byterians, some  Cambellites,  some  Restorationers,  etc. 

"On  Monday  morning  when  we  passed  through 
Jacksonville,  they  undertook  to  count  us ;  and  I  heard 
one  man  say,  who  stood  in  the  door  of  a  cabinet  shop, 
that  he  had  counted  a  little  rising  of  five  hundred,  but  he 
could  not  tell  how  many  there  were.  This  thing  was 
attempted  many  times  in  villages  and  towns  as  we  passed 
through,  but  the  people  were  never  able  to  ascertain  our 
number. 

"  While  traveling  in  Indiana  some  spies  came  into  our 
camp.  While  we  were  eating  dinner  on  the  2ist  of 
May,  three  gentlemen  came  riding  up  on  very  fine  look- 
ing horses  and  commenced  their  enquiries  of  various 
ones  concerning  our  traveling  in  so  large  a  body,  asking 
where  we  were  from,  and  where  we  were  going.  The 
reply  was  as  usual,  some  from  Maine,  some  from  New 


6O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

York,  some  from  Massachusetts,  some  from  Ohio,  and 
some  replied,  we  are  from  the  east,  and  as  soon  as  we 
have  done  eating  we  shall  be  going  to  the  west  again. 
They  then  addressed  themselves  to  Dr.  Williams,  to  see 
if  they  could  find  out  who  the  leader  of  the  camp  was. 
The  doctor  replied,  we  have  no  one  in  particular.  They 
asked  if  we  had  not  a  general  to  take  lead  of  the  com- 
pany. The  reply  was,  no  one  in  particular.  But,  said 
they,  is  there  not  some  one  among  you  whom  you  call 
your  captain,  or  leader,  or  superior  to  the  rest?  He 
answered,  sometimes  one,  and  sometimes  another,  takes 
charge  of  the  company  so  as  to  not  throw  the  burden 
upon  any  one  in  particular.  These  same  spies,  who  had 
come  from  the  west,  passed  us  that  same  day,  and  the 
next. 

"On  Monday,  June  2nd,  we  crossed  the  Illinois 
River.  The  enemy  had  threatened  that  we  should  not 
pass  over,  but  we  were  ferried  across  without  any  diffi- 
culty. Here  we  were  counted  by  the  ferryman  and  he 
declared  we  were  five  hundred  in  number,  although  there 
were  only  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  us.  Our  com- 
pany had  increased  since  we  started  from  Kirtland  in 
consequence  of  many  having  volunteered  and  joined  us 
from  the  different  branches  of  the  Church  through  which 
we  had  passed  on  our  journey.  We  camped  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river  until  the  next  day. 

"On  Tuesday,  the  3d,  several  of  us  went  up  with 
the  Prophet  to  the  top  of  a  mound  on  the  bank  of  the 
Illinois  River,  which  was  several  hundred  feet  above  the 
river,  and  from  the  summit  we  had  a  pleasant  view  of 
the  surrounding  country.  We  could  overlook  the  tops 
of  the  trees  and  the  meadow  or  prairie  on  each  side  the 
river  as  far  as  our  eyes  could  extend,  which  was  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  scenes  I  ever  beheld.  On  the  top  of 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  6 1 

this  mound  there  was  the  appearance  of  three  altars, 
which  had  been  built  of  stone,  one  above  the  other, 
according  to  the  ancient  order;  and  the  ground  was 
strewn  with  human  bones.  This  caused  in  us  very  pecu- 
liar feelings,  to  see  the  bones  of  our  fellow  creatures 
scattered  in  this  manner, — fellow  creatures  who  had  been 
slain  in  ages  past.  We  felt  prompted  to  dig  down  into 
the  mound,  and  sending  for  a  shovel  and  hoe,  we  pro- 
ceeded to  move  away  the  earth.  At  about  one  foot  in 
depth  we  discovered  the  skeleton  of  a  man,  almost 
entire ;  and  between  two  of  his  ribs  we  found  an  Indian 
arrow,  which  had  evidently  been  the  cause  of  his  death. 
We  took  the  leg  and  thigh  bones  and  carried  them  to 
Clay  County.  All  four  appeared  sound.  Brother  Brig- 
ham  Young  has  yet  the  arrow  in  his  possession.  It  was 
a  common  thing  to  find  bones  thus  bleaching  upon  the 
earth  in  that  country. 

"The  same  day  we  pursued  our  journey.  While 
on  our  way  we  felt  anxious  to  know  who  the  person  was 
who  had  been  killed  by  that  arrow.  It  was  made  known 
to  Joseph  that  he  had  been  an  officer  who  fell  in  battle, 
in  the  last  destruction  among  the  Lamanites,  and  his 
name  was  Zelph.  This  caused  us  to  rejoice  much,  to 
think  that  God  was  so  mindful  of  us  as  to  show  these 
things  to  His  servant.  Brother  Joseph  had  enquired  of 
the  Lord  and  it  was  made  known  to  him  in  a  vision. 

" While  we  were  refreshing  ourselves  and  teams, 
about  the  middle  of  the  day,  Brother  Joseph  got  up  in 
a  wagon  and  said  he  would  deliver  a  prophecy.  After 
giving  the  brethren  much  good  advice,  he  exhorted  them 
to  faithfulness  and  humility,  and  said  the  Lord  had  told 
him  that  there  would  be  a  scourge  come  upon  the  camp 
in  consequence  of  the  fractious  and  unruly  spirits  that 
appeared  among  them,  and  they  would  die  like  sheep 


62  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

with  the  rot ;  still  if  they  would  repent  and  humble  them- 
selves before  the  Lord,  the  scourge  in  a  great  measure 
might  be  turned  away ;  'but,  as  the  Lord  lives,  this  camp 
will  suffer  for  giving  way  to  their  unruly  temper ;'  which 
afterwards  actually  did  take  place  to  the  sorrow  of  the 
brethren. 

''The  same  day  when  we  had  got  within  one  mile  of 
the  Snye,  we  came  to  a  very  beautiful  little  town  called 
Atlas.  Here  we  found  honey,  for  the  first  time  on  our 
journey,  that  we  could  buy.  We  purchased  about  two- 
thirds  of  a  barrel.  We  went  down  to  the  Snye  and 
crossed  over  that  night  in  a  ferry  boat  and  camped  for 
the  night  on  the  west  bank.  There  was  a  great  excite- 
ment in  the  country  through  which  we  had  passed,  and 
also  ahead  of  us ;  the  mob  threatened  to  stop  us ;  guns 
were  fired  in  almost  every  direction  through  the  night. 

"We  pursued  our  journey  on  the  4th  and  camped 
on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Here  we  were 
somewhat  afflicted,  and  the  enemy  threatened  much  that 
we  should  not  cross  over  the  river  out  of  Illinois  into 
Missouri.  It  took  us  two  days  to  cross  the  river,  as  we 
had  but  one  ferry  boat,  and  the  river  was  one  mile  and 
a  half  wide.  While  some  were  crossing  others  spent 
their  time  in  hunting,  fishing,  etc.  When  we  had  all  got 
over  we  camped  about  one  mile  from  the  little  town  of 
Louisiana,  in  a  beautiful  oak  grove,  immediately  on  the 
bank  of  the  river. 

"At  this  place  there  were  some  feelings  of  hostility 
again  manifested  by  Sylvester  Smith,  in  consequence  of 
a  dog  growling  at  him  while  he  was  marching  his  com- 
pany up  to  the  camp,  he  being  the  last  that  came  over 
the  river.  The  next  morning  Brother  Joseph  said  that 
he  would  descend  to  the  spirit  that  was  manifested  by 
some  of  the  brethren  to  show  them  the  folly  of  their 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  63 

wickedness.  He  rose  up  and  commenced  by  saying, 
'If  any  man  insults  me,  or  abuses  me,  I  will  stand  in  my 
own  defence  at  the  expense  of  my  life ;  and  if  a  dog 
growl  at  me,  I  will  let  him  know  that  I  am  his  master.' 
At  this  moment  Sylvester  Smith,  who  had  just  returned 
from  where  he  had  turned  out  his  horses  to  feed,  came 
up,  and  hearing  Brother  Joseph  make  those  remarks 
said,  'If  that  dog  bites  me  I'll  kill  him.'  Brother  Joseph 
turned  to  Sylvester  and  said,  'If  you  kill  that  dog  I'll 
whip  you ;'  and  then  went  on  to  show  the  brethren  how 
wicked  and  unchristian-like  such  conduct  appeared  before 
the  eyes  of  truth  and  justice. 

"On  Friday,  the  6th,  we  resumed  our  journey.  On 
Saturday  night  we  camped  among  our  brethren  at  Salt 
River,  in  the  Allred  settlement,  in  a  piece  of  woods  by  a 
beautiful  spring  of  water,  and  prepared  for  the  Sabbath. 
On  the  Sabbath  we  had  preaching.  We  remained  here 
several  days,  washing  our  clothes  and  preparing  to 
resume  our  journey.  Here  we  were  joined  by  Hyrum 
Smith  and  Lyman  Wight,  with  another  company.  The 
camp  now  numbered  two  hundred  and  five  men,  all  armed 
and  equipped.  It  was  delightful  to  see  the  company, 
for  they  were  all  young  men,  with  one  or  two  exceptions, 
and  all  in  good  spirits. 

"We  were  now  reorganized  in  the  following  order: 
Joseph  Smith  was  acknowledged  commander-in-chief; 
Lyman  Wight  was  chosen  general  of  the  camp ;  then 
Brother  Joseph  chose  twenty  men  for  his  life  guard,  I 
being  one  of  them ;  Brother  George  A.  Smith  was 
Brother  Joseph's  armor-bearer;  Hyrum  Smith  was  chosen 
captain  of  the  life  guard ;  the  remainder  of  the  camp 
was  organized  into  companies  as  before  stated.  We  had 
twenty-five  wagons,  two  horses  on  each,  and  on  some 
three.  One  day  while  we  remained  here  our  general 


64  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

marched  us  out  on  a  large  prairie.  He  then  proceeded 
to  inspect  us,  examine  our  firelocks,  etc.  Afterwards  we 
were  marched  in  platoons,  and,  an  object  being  placed, 
we  discharged  our  pieces  in  order  to  try  them.  We  were 
drilled  about  half  a  day,  and  then  returned  to  the  camp. 

''My  first  attempt  at  washing  my  clothes  took  place 
at  Salt  River.  My  shirts  being  extremely  dirty,  I  put 
them  into  a  kettle  of  water  and  boiled  them  for  about 
two  hours,  having  observed  that  women  who  washed 
boiled  their  clothes,  and  I  supposed  by  so  doing  they 
boiled  out  the  dirt;  I  then  took  them  and  washed  them, 
endeavoring  to  imitate  a  woman  washing  as  near  as  I 
could.  I  rubbed  the  clothes  with  my  knuckles  instead  of 
the  palm  of  my  hand,  and  rubbed  the  skin  off  so  that 
my  hands  were  very  sore  for  several  days.  My  attempts 
were  vain  in  trying  to  get  the  dirt  out  of  the  clothes.  I 
wondered  at  this  considerably,  and  scolded  and  fretted 
because  I  could  not  get  the  dirt  out,  and  finally  gave  it 
up,  and  wrung  them  and  hung  them  out  to  dry.  Having 
no  flat-irons  to  iron  them,  I  took  them  to  Sisters  Holl- 
brook  and  Ripley  to  get  them  ironed.  When  they  saw 
them  they  said  I  had  not  washed  my  clothes.  I  told  them 
I  had  done  my  best,  and  although  I  had  boiled  them  two 
hours  before  washing,  and  had  washed  them  so  faithfully 
that  I  had  taken  the  skin  off  my  knuckles,  still  I  had  not 
been  successful  in  getting  the  dirt  out.  They  laughed 
heartily,  and  informed  me  that  by  boiling  before  washing 
I  had  boiled  the  dirt  into  them. 

"  On  the  1 2th  we  again  resumed  our  march  ;  many 
of  the  inhabitants  went  with  us  several  miles ;  they 
seemed  to  have  much  respect  for  us.  We  traveled  about 
fourteen  miles  and  camped  on  a  large  prairie. 

"  We  tarried  in  the  middle  of  this  prairie,  which  was 
about  twenty-eight  miles  across,  on  account  of  a  rupture 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  65 

which  took  place  in  the  camp.  Here  F.  G.  Williams  and 
Roger  Orton  received  a  very  severe  chastisement  from 
Brother  Joseph  for  not  obeying  orders.  In  this  place 
further  regulations  were  made  in  regard  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  camp. 

"A  day  or  two  after  this,  Bishop  Partridge  met  us, 
direct  from  Clay  County,  as  we  were  camping  on  the 
bank  of  the  Wacondah  River,  in  the  woods.  We 
received  much  information  from  Brother  Partridge  con- 
cerning the  hostile  feelings  and  prejudices  that  existed 
against  us  in  all  quarters  of  Missouri.  It  gave  us  great 
satisfaction  to  receive  intelligence  from  him,  as  we  were 
in  peril  and  threatened  all  the  time.  I  will  here  mention 
one  circumstance  that  transpired  during  our  stay  at  this 
place,  which  was  that  of  Brother  Lyman  Wight  baptizing 
Dean  Gould,  as  he  was  not  previously  a  member  of  the 
Church,  yet  had  accompanied  us  all  the  way  from  Kirtland. 

"We  pursued  our  journey,  following  the  bank  of 
the  river,  for  several  miles.  As  we  left  the  river  and 
came  into  a  very  beautiful  prairie,  Brother  William 
Smith  killed  a  very  large  deer,  which  made  us  some  very 
nourishing  soup,  and  added  to  our  comfort  considerably. 

"On  Wednesday,  the  iSth,  at  night,  we  camped  one 
mile  from  the  town  of  Richmond,  Ray  County.  On 
Thursday,  the  iQth,  we  arose  as  soon  as  it  was  light  and 
passed  through  the  town  before  the  inhabitants  were 
up.  As  Luke  Johnson  and  others  were  passing  through 
before  the  teams  came  along,  Brother  Luke  observed 
a  black  woman  in  a  gentleman's  garden  near  the  road. 
She  beckoned  to  him  and  said,  'come  here  massa.' 
She  was  evidently  much  agitated  in  her  feelings.  He 
went  up  to  the  fence  and  she  said  to  him,  '  there  is  a 
company  of  men  lying  in  wait  here  who  are  calculating 
to  kill  you  this  morning  as  you  pass  through.'  This  was 


66  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

nothing  new  to  us  as  we  had  been  continually  threatened 
through  the  whole  journey,  and  death  and  destruction 
seemed  to  await  us  daily.  This  day  we  only  traveled 
about  fifteen  miles.  One  wagon  broke  down  and  the 
wheels  ran  off  from  another,  and  there  seemed  to  be 
many  things  to  hinder  our  progress,  although  we  strove 
with  all  diligence  to  speed  our  way  forward.  Our  inten- 
tions were  when  we  started  to  go  through  to  Clay  County 
that  day ;  but  all  in  vain. 

''This  night  we  camped  on  an  elevated  piece  of  land 
between  two  branches  of  the  Fishing  River.  Just  as  we 
halted  and  were  making  preparations  for  the  night,  five 
men  rode  into  the  camp  and  told  us  we  should  see  hell 
before  morning,  and  such  horrible  oaths  as  came  from 
their  lips  I  never  heard  before.  They  told  us  that  sixty 
men  were  coming  from  Richmond,  who  had  sworn  to 
destroy  us,  also  seventy  more  were  coming  from  Clay 
County,  to  assist  in  our  destruction.  These  men  were 
black  with  passion,  and  armed  with  guns,  and  the  whole 
country  was  in  a  rage  against  us,  and  nothing  but  the 
power  of  God  could  save  us.  All  this  time  the  weather 
was  pleasant.  Soon  after  these  men  left  us  we  dis- 
covered a  small  black  cloud  rising  in  the  west,  and  not 
more  than  twenty  minutes  passed  away  before  it  began 
to  rain  and  hail  ;  but  we  had  very  little  hail  in  our  camp. 
All  around  us  the  hail  was  heavy ;  some  of  the  hailstones, 
or  rather  lumps  of  ice,  were  as  large  as  hens'  eggs. 
The  thunder  rolled  with  awful  majesty,  and  the  red  light- 
nings flashed  through  the  horizon,  making  it  so  light  that 
I  could  see  to  pick  up  a  pin  almost  any  time  through  the 
night.  The  earth  quaked  and  trembled,  and  there  being 
no  cessation  it  seemed  as  though  the  Almighty  had  issued 
forth  his  mandate  of  vengeance.  The  wind  was  so 
terrible  that  many  of  our  tents  were  blown  down.  We 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  67 

were  not  able  to  hold  them  up ;  but  there  being  an  old 
meeting  house  close  at  hand,  many  of  us  fled  there  to 
secure  ourselves  from  the  storm.  Many  trees  were 
blown  down,  and  others  were  twisted  and  wrung  like  a 
withe.  The  mob  came  to  the  river  two  miles  from  us, 
but  the  river  had  risen  to  that  height  that  they  were 
obliged  to  stop  without  crossing  over.  The  hail  fell  so 
heavily  upon  them  that  it  beat  holes  in  their  hats,  and  in 
some  instances  even  broke  the  stocks  off  their  guns  ; 
their  horses,  being  frightened,  fled,  leaving  the  riders  on 
the  ground.  Their  powder  was  wet,  and  it  was  evident 
that  the  Almighty  fought  in  our  defense.  This  night  the 
river  raised  forty  feet. 

"In  the  morning  I  went  to  the  river  in  company  with 
Brother  Joseph  "Smith,  Hyrum  Smith,  Brigham  Young 
and  others,  as  we  had  it  in  contemplation  to  proceed  that 
morning  to  Liberty,  Clay  County ;  but  we  could  not  con- 
tinue our  journey  as  there  was  no  way  to  cross  the  river. 
It  was  then  overflowing  its  banks ;  and  I  have  seen  the 
river  since  and  proved  that  it  was  fully  forty  feet  from 
the  top  of  its  banks  to  the  bottom.  Previous  to  this  rain 
falling,  it  was  no  more  than  ankle  deep.  .  Such  a  time 
never  was  known  by  us  before ;  still  we  felt  calm  all 
night,  and  the  Lord  was  with  us.  The  water  was  ankle 
deep  to  us  all  night,  even  on  that  eminence,  so  we  could 
not  sleep. 

"At  this  place  W.  W.  Phelps,  S.  W.  Denton,  John 
Corrill  and  many  others  from  Liberty  joined  us ;  from 
whom  we  received  much  information  from  the  brethren 
who  had  been  driven  from  Jackson  County,  and  learned 
of  the  fixed  determination  of  our  enemies  to  drive  or 
exterminate  them  from  that  county. 

"The  next  day,  when  we  moved  into  the  country  we 
saw  that  the  hail  had  destroyed  the  crops,  and  we  saw 


68  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

that  it  had  come  in  some  directions  within  a  mile  and  in 
other  directions  within  a  half  mile  of  our  camp.  After 
passing  a  short  distance  the  ground  was  literally  covered 
with  branches  of  the  trees  which  had  been  cut  off  by  the 
hail.  We  went  a  distance  of  five  miles  on  the  prairie  to 
get  food  for  our  horses  and  also  to  get  some  provisions 
for  ourselves,  and  to  get  into  some  secure  place  where 
we  could  defend  ourselves  from  the  rage  of  the  enemy. 
We  stayed  there  three  or  four  days,  until  the  rage  of  the 
people  was  somewhat  allayed. 

"On  the  2 ist  Colonel  Sconce  and  two  other  lead- 
ing men  from  Ray  County  came  to  see  us,  desiring  to 
know  what  our  intentions  were,  'for/  said  he,  'I  see  that 
there  is  an  almighty  power  that  protects  this  people,  for 
I  started  from  Richmond,  Ray  County,  with  a  company 
of  armed  men,  having  a  fixed  determination  to  destroy 
you,  but  was  kept  back  by  the  storm  and  was  not  able 
to  reach  you.'  When  he  came  into  camp  he  was  seized 
with  such  a  trembling  that  he  was  obliged  to  sit  down  in 
order  to  compose  himself.  When  he  desired  to  know 
what  our  intentions  were,  Brother  Joseph  arose  and 
began  to  speak ;  and  the  power  of  God  rested  upon 
him.  He  gave  a  relation  of  the  sufferings  of  our  people 
in  Jackson  County,  and  also  many  of  our  persecutions 
and  what  we  had  suffered  from  our  enemies  for  our 
religion  ;  and  that  we  had  come  one  thousand  miles  to 
assist  our  brethren,  to  bring  them  clothing,  and  to  rein- 
state them  upon  their  own  lands  ;  that  we  had  no  inten- 
tions to  molest  or  injure  any  people,  but  only  to  adminis- 
ter to  the  wants  of  our  afflicted  brethren  ;  and  that  the 
evil  reports  which  were  circulated  about  us  were  false, 
and  were  circulated  by  our  enemies  to  get  us  destroyed. 
"After  he  had  finished  speaking,  the  power  of  which 
melted  them  into  compassion,  they  arose  and  offered  him 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  69 

their  hands,  and  said  they  would  use  their  influence  to 
allay  the  excitement  which  everywhere  prevailed  against 
us.  They  accordingly  went  forth  and  rode  day  and  night 
to  pacify  the  people.  They  wept  because  they  saw  we 
were  an  afflicted  people,  and  that  our  intentions  were  pure. 

"The  next  day  the  sheriff  of  that  county,  named 
Neil  Gilliam,  came  to  deliver  a  short  address  to  us.  We 
formed  into  companies  and  marched  into  a  grove  a  little 
distance  from  the  camp,  and  there  formed  ourselves  into 
a  circle,  and  sat  down  upon  the  ground.  Previous  to 
Mr.  Gilliam' s  address  he  (Gilliam)  said,  '  I  have  heard 
much  concerning  Joseph  Smith,  and  I  have  been  informed 
that  he  is  in  your  camp  ;  if  he  is  here  I  would  like  to  see 
him.'  Brother  Joseph  arose  and  said  '  I  am  the  man.' 
This  was  the  first  time  he  was  made  known  during  the 
journey  of  one  thousand  miles.  Mr.  Gilliam  then  arose 
and  gave  us  some  instructions  concerning  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  people,  their  disposition,  etc.,  and 
what  course  we  should  take  in  order  to  gain  their  favor 
and  protection. 

"On  the  Sabbath  day  while  we  were  in  this  place, 
being  in  want  of  salt,  I  took  it  upon  me  to  go  to  some 
of  the  inhabitants  and  get  some.  Brother  Cyrus  Small- 
ing  took  his  rifle  and  went  along  with  me.  After  passing 
through  a  path  enclosed  by  hazel  bushes,  about  two 
miles  from  the  camp,  I  discovered  a  deer  a  little  distance 
ahead  of  us  standing  across  the  path.  I  made  motions 
to  Brother  Smalling,  and  he,  drawing  up  his  rifle  over 
my  shoulder,  which  served  for  a  rest,  fired  and  hit  the 
deer  just  behind  the  shoulder.  It  ran  a  few  rods  and 
fell.  We  cut  a  pole  and  fastening  the  deer  on  it,  got  it 
on  our  shoulders  and  carried  it  along  to  camp,  when  we 
dressed  it  and  divided  it  among  the  different  companies, 
and  had  an  excellent  feast. 


7O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"  Here  Brothers  Ezra  Thayer  and  Thomas  Hayes 
were  taken  sick  with  the  cholera.  We  left  them  there, 
and  also  brother  Joseph  Hancock,  who  had  been  taken 
with  the  cholera  during  the  storm,  and  who  was  the  first 
person  attacked  with  it.  Brother  Joseph  called  the  camp 
together,  and  told  us  that  in  consequence  of  the  disobe- 
dience of  some  who  had  not  been  willing  to  listen  to  his 
words,  but  had  been  rebellious,  God  had  decreed  that 
sickness  should  come  upon  us,  and  we  should  die  like 
sheep  with  the  rot ;  and  said  he,  '  I  am  sorry,  but  I  can- 
not help  it.'  When  he  spake  these  things  it  pierced  me 
like  a  dart,  having  a  testimony  that  so  it  would  be." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE      FISHING       RIVER      REVELATION WHY     ZION     WAS     NOT 

REDEEMED THE     CHOLERA     IN     CAMP THE     TEST     OF 

FAITH    COMPLETE THE  SHADOW    OF    A    COMING    EVENT. 

HERE,  while  the  Camp  rested  on  Fishing  River,  the 
Lord  made  further  known  His  will  concerning  the  redemp- 
tion of  Zion.  The  revelation  was  given  on  the  22nd  of  June, 
the  same  day  that  the  Prophet  repeated  his  warning  in 
relation  to  the  coming  scourge.  The  points  most  perti- 
nent to  our  narrative  are  here  given : 

"  Behold  I  say  unto  you,  were  it  not  for  the  trans- 
gressions of  my  people,  speaking  concerning  the  church 
and  not  individuals,  they  might  have  been  redeemed  even 
now; 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  71 

''But  behold,  they  have  not  learned  to  be  obedient 
to  the  things  which  I  required  at  their  hands,  but  are  full 
of  all  manner  of  evil,  and  do  not  impart  of  their  sub- 
stance, as  becometh  saints,  to  the  poor  and  afflicted 
among  them, 

"And  are  not  united  according  to  the  union  required 
by  the  law  of  the  celestial  kingdom ; 

"And  Zion  cannot  be  ouilt  up  unless  it  is  by  the 
principles  of  the  law  of  the  celestial  kingdom,  otherwise 
I  cannot  receive  her  unto  myself. 

"And  my  people  must  needs  be  chastened  until  they 
learn  obedience,  if  it  must  needs  be,  by  the  things  which 
they  suffer. 

"Therefore,  in  consequence  of  the  transgression  of 
my  people,  it  is  expedient  in  me  that  mine  elders  should 
wait  for  a  little  season  for  the  redemption  of  Zion.  *  * 

"But  inasmuch  as  there  are  those  who  have  heark- 
ened unto  my  words,  I  have  prepared  a  blessing  and  an 
endowment  for  them,  if  they  continue  faithful.  *  *  * 

"I  have  heard  their  prayers,  and  will  accept  their 
offering;  and  it  is  expedient  in  me,  that  they  should  be 
brought  thus  far  for  a  trial  of  their  faith." 

Those  who  had  families  in  the  east  were  then  told 
that  they  might  return,  while  the  rest  were  required  to 
remain  in  Missouri.  The  Saints  were  instructed  to 
observe  wisdom  and  humility,  and  "lift  up  an  ensign  of 
peace"  to  their  enemies  and  to  all  the  world,  while  await- 
ing the  day  of  God's  power  and  of  Zion's  redemption. 

The  real  purpose  of  the  Almighty  in  relation  to  this 
important  event  was  foreshadowed  in  a  revelation  given 
February  24th,  1834,  the  one  calling  for  the  organization 
of  Zion's  Camp.  Therein  the  Lord  says  : 

"  Behold  I  say  unto  you,  the  redemption  of  Zion 
must  needs  come  by  power ; 

"Therefore,  I  will  raise  up  unto  my  people  a  man,  who 
shall  lead  them  like  as  Moses  led  the  children  of  Israel, 


72  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"  For  ye  are  the  children  of  Israel,  and  of  the  seed  of 
Abraham,  and  ye  must  needs  be  led  out  of  bondage  by 
power,  and  with  a  stretched  out  arm : 

"  And  as  your  fathers  were  led  at  the  first,  even 
so  shall  the  redemption  of  Zion  be." 

While  there  is  no  doubt  that,  had  the  Lord's  people 
been  prepared,  they  might  «have  been  redeemed  accord- 
ing to  His  word,  it  is  also  evident  that  the  times  were 
not  then  ripe  for  that  event.  This  will  be  shown  more 
plainly  as  we  proceed. 

Continuing  his  narrative,  Heber  says ; 

"On  Monday,  June  23rd,  a  council  of  high  priests 
met,  according  to  revelation,  to  choose  some  of  the  first 
Elders  to  receive  their  endowments ;  being  appointed  by 
the  voice  of  the  spirit,  through  Joseph  Smith  the 
Prophet.  Edward  Partridge  was  called  and  chosen 
to  go  to  Kirtland  and  receive  his  endowments,  with 
power  from  on  high,  and  to  also  stand  in  his  office  as  a 
bishop  to  purchase  land  in  Missouri.  Also  W.  W. 
Phelps,  Isaac  Morley,  John  Whitmer,  David  Whitmer, 
Algernon  S.  Gilbert,  Peter  Whitmer,  Simeon  Carter, 
Newel  Knight,  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  Lyman  Wight,  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  Christian  Whitmer,  and  Solomon  Hancock  were 
severally  called  and  chosen  to  receive  their  endowments 
in  Kirtland  with  power  from  on  high. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  24th  we  started  for  Liberty, 
Clay  County,  where  our  brethren  were  residing  who  had 
been  driven  from  Jackson  County,  taking  our  course 
round  the  head  of  Fishing  River,  in  consequence  of  high 
water.  When  we  got  within  five  or  six  miles  of  Liberty, 
General  Atchison  and  several  other  gentlemen  met  us, 
desiring  that  we  would  not  go  to  Liberty,  as  the  feelings 
of  the  people  in  that  place  were  much  enraged  against 
us.  Changing  our  course  and  bearing  to  the  left,  we 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  73 

pursued  our  way  across  a  prairie ;  then  passing  through 
a  wood  we  came  to  Brother  Sidney  Gilbert's  where  we 
camped  on  the  bottom  of  Rush  Creek,  in  a  field  belong- 
ing to  Brother  Burgett. 

"  The  destroyer  came  upon  us  as  we  had  been 
warned  by  the  servant  of  God.  About  12  o'clock  at 
night  we  began  to  hear  the  cries  of  those  who  had  been 
seized.  Even  those  on  guard  fell  with  their  guns  in 
their  hands,  and  we  had  to  exert  ourselves  considerably 
to  attend  to  the  sick,  for  they  were  stricken  down  on 
every  hand.  Thus  it  continued  until  morning  when  the 
camp  was  separated  into  several  little  bands,  and  dis- 
persed among  the  brethren. 

"  I  was  left  at  the  Camp  in  company  with  Joseph  B. 
Noble,  John  D.  Parker,  Luke  Johnson  and  Warren 
Ingalls,  in  care  of  those  who  were  sick.  We  stayed 
with,  and  prayed  for  them,  hoping  they  would  recover, 
but  all  hope  was  lost,  for  about  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  John  S.  Carter  expired.  When  the  cholera 
first  broke  out  he  was  the  first  who  came  forward  to 
rebuke  .it ;  when  he  was  immediately  seized  by  it,  and 
was  the  first  to  die.  In  about  thirty  minutes  after  Seth 
Hitchcock  died,  and  it  seemed  as  though  we  must  all 
sink  under  the  power  of  the  destroyer. 

"  We  were  not  able  to  obtain  lumber  to  make  them 
coffins,  but  were  under  the  necessity  of  rolling  them  up 
in  their  blankets  and  burying  them  in  that  manner.  We 
placed  them  on  a  sled,  which  was  drawn  by  a  horse  about 
half  a  mile,  and  buried  them  in  a  little  bluff  by  the 
side  of  a  small  branch  of  Rush  Creek.  This  was  accom- 
plished by  dark.  Our  hopes  were  that  no  more  would 
die,  but  while  we  were  uniting  in  prayer  with  uplifted  hands 
to  God,  we  looked  at  our  beloved  brother,  Eber  Wilcox, 
who  was  gasping  his  last.  At  this  scene  my  feelings 


74  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

were  beyond  expression.  Those  only  who  witnessed  it 
can  realize  anything  of  the  extent  of  our  sufferings  ;  and 
I  felt  to  weep  and  pray  to  the  Lord,  that  he  would  spare 
my  life  that  I  might  behold  my  dear  family  again.  I  felt 
to  covenant  with  my  brethren  and  my  God  never  to 
commit  another  sin  while  I  lived.  We  felt  to  sit 
and  weep  over  our  brethren,  and  so  great  was  our 
grief  that  we  could  have  washed  them  with  our  tears. 
To  realize  that  they  had  traveled  a  thousand  miles 
through  so  much  fatigue  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  their 
brethren,  increased  our  love  for  them. 

"  Brothers  Brigham  and  Joseph  Young  came  from 
Liberty  and  assisted  us  to  bury  Brother  Wilcox.  Their 
presence  gave  us  much  consolation.  About  12  o'clock 
at  night  we  placed  Brother  Wilcox  on  a  small  sled  which 
we  drew  to  the  place  of  interment  with  one  hand  on  the 
rope  and  the  other  bearing  our  firelocks  for  defense. 
While  two  were  digging  the  grave  the  others  stood  with 
their  arms  to  defend  them. 

''While  Brother  Luke  Johnson  was  digging,  the 
cholera  attacked  him  with  cramping  and  blindness. 
Brother  Brigham  laid  hold  of  him  and  pulled  him  out  of 
the  grave,  and  shook  him  about,  talked  to  and  prayed 
for  him,  and  exhorted  him  to  jump  about  and  exercise 
himself,  when  it  would  leave  him  for  a  few  moments, 
then  it  would  attack  him  again ;  and  thus  we  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  to  keep  the  destroyer  from  laying  us 
low.  Soon  after  we  returned  another  brother  was 
taken  from  our  little  band ;  thus  it  continued  until  five 
out  of  ten  were  taken  away. 

"  After  burying  these  five  brethren  I  was  seized  by 
the  hand  of  the  destroyer,  as  I  went  in  the  woods  to 
pray.  I  was  instantly  struck  blind,  and  saw  no  way 
whereby  I  could  free  myself  from  the  disease,  only  by 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  75 

jumping  and  thrashing  myself  about,  until  my  sight 
returned  to  me  and  my  blood  began  to  circulate  in  my 
veins.  I  started  and  ran  some  distance,  and  by  this 
means,  through  the  help  of  God,  I  was  enabled  to  extri- 
cate myself  from  the  grasp  of  death.  This  circumstance 
took  place  in  a  piece  of  woods  behind  Brother  Gilbert's 
house. 

"On  the  26th  Algernon  Sidney  Gilbert,  keeper  of 
the  Lord's  storehouse,  signed  a  letter  to  the  governor, 
in  connection  with  others,  which  was  his  last  public  act, 
for  he  had  been  called  to  preach  and  he  said  he  would 
rather  die  than  go  forth  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
wicked  Gentile  nations.  The  Lord  took  him  at  his 
word ;  he  was  attacked  with  the  cholera  and  died  about 
the  2Qth. 

"  Brothers  Erastus  Budd  and  Jesse  Johnson  Smith, 
a  cousin  of  the  Prophet,  died  at  Brother  Gilbert's  about 
the  same  time. 

"While  we  were  here,  the  brethren  being  in  want 
of  some  refreshment,  Brother  Luke  Johnson  went  to 
Brother  Burgett  to  get  a  fowl,  asking  him  for  one  to 
make  a  broth  for  Elder  Wilcox  and  others ;  but  Brother 
Burgett  denied  him  it,  saying,  '  In  a  few  days  we  expect 
to  return  back  into  Jackson  County,  and  I  shall  want 
them  when  I  get  there.'  When  Brother  Johnson  returned 
he  was  so  angry  at  Burgett  for  refusing  him,  he  said,  T 
have  a  great  mincl  to  take  my  rifle  and  go  back  and 
shoot  his  horse.'  I  told  Luke  to  never  mind;  that  such 
actions  never  fail  to  bring  their  reward. 

"Judge  how  we  felt,  after  having  left  the  society   of 
our  beloved   families,  taking  our  lives  in  our  hands  and 
traveling  about  one  thousand   miles   through   scenes  of 
suffering  and   sorrow,  for   the  benefit  of   our  brethren, 
and  after  all  to  be  denied  of  a  small  fowl  to  make  a  little 


76  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

soup  for  brethren  in  the  agonies  of  death.  Such  things 
never  fail  to  bring  their  reward,  and  it  would  be  well  for 
the  Saints  never  to  turn  away  a  brother  who  is  penniless 
and  in  want,  or  a  stranger,  lest  they  may  one  day  or 
other  want  a  friend  themselves. 

"I  went  to  Liberty,  to  the  house  of  Brother  Peter 
Whitmer,  which  place  I  reached  with  difficulty,  being 
much  afflicted  with  the  disease  that  was  among  us.  I 
stayed  there  until  my  return  home,  receiving  great  kind- 
ness at  the  hands  of  the  brethren. 

"The  destroyer  having  afflicted  us  four  days,  ceased. 
Sixty-eight  were  attacked  by  the  disease,  of  which  num- 
ber fourteen  members  of  Zion's  Camp  died. 

"June  3Oth  I  started  for  home  in  company  with 
Lyman  Sherman,  Sylvester  Smith,  Alexander  Badlam, 
Harrison  Burgess,  Luke  Johnson  and  Zera  Cole.  They 
elected  me  their  captain. 

"We  proceeded  on  our  journey  daily,  the  Lord 
blessing  us  with  strength  and  health.  The  weather 
was  very  hot,  but  we  traveled  from  thirty-five  to  forty 
miles  a  day,  until  about  the  26th  of  July,  when  we 
arrived  in  Kirtland ;  having  been  gone  from  home  about 
three  months,  during  which  time,  with  the  exception  of 
four  nights,  I  slept  on  the  ground. 

"On  my  arrival  home  I  found  my  family  well,  and  I 
felt  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord  that  He  had  preserved  my  life 
through  so  many  dangers.  Concluding  that  I  had  fin- 
ished my  mission  to  which  the  Lord  had  called  me,  after 
resting  a  few  days,  I  established  my  pottery  and  began 
business." 

Thus  ended  that  remarkable  expedition  ;  remarkable 
for  its  object,  for  the  issues  involved,  for  its  tragic  epi- 
sodes, examples  of  heroism  and  miraculous  manifesta- 
tions of  divine  power.  What  had  it  achieved?  some  may 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  77 

ask.  Nay,  might  not  many  be  tempted  to  query,  Was 
not  the  mission  of  Zion's  Camp  a  failure  ? 

''What  have  you  accomplished?"  was  the  sneering- 
taunt  of  the  apostate  and  of  those  weak  in  faith,  met  by 
the  remnant  of  the  little  band  on  their  return  to  Kirtland. 
"Just  what  we  went  for;"  the  meek,  though  firm  reply 
of  such  men  as  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Brigham  Young. 

And  they  were  right.  To  them  it  was  no  failure. 
The  trial  of  their  faith  was  complete.  Their  offering,  like 
Abraham's,  had  been  accepted.  They  had  been  weighed 
in  the  eternal  balance,  and  were  not  found  wanting. 

But  what  of  Zion  and  her  redemption? 

Let  the  word  of  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Enoch,  the 
God  of  Joseph  give  answer: 

"THE  REDEMPTION  OF  ZION  MUST  NEEDS  COME  BY 
POWER." 

Power  dwells  in  unity,  not  in  discord ;  in  humility, 
not  pride ;  in  sacrifice,  not  selfishness  ;  obedience,  not 
rebellion. 

Zion's  Camp,  if  it  failed  at  all  in  fulfilling  its  mission, 
failed  for  precisely  similar  reasons  to  those  which  had 
caused  the  expulsion  of  the  Saints  from  Jackson  County; 
reasons  which,  in  ancient  times,  kept  Israel  wandering 
for  forty  years  in  the  wilderness,  within  sight  of  their 
coveted  Caanan,  which  they  were  not  permitted  in  that 
generation  to  possess.  Like  Moses,  these  modern  pil- 
grims beheld,  as  from  Pisgah's  top,  their  promised  land: 
like  Moses,  on  account  of  transgression,  they  were  not 
permitted  to  "cross  over."  No  doubt  there  were  Calebs 
and  Joshuas  in  the  Camp,  who  were  worthy.  But  the 
great  event,  in  the  wisdom  of  the  Highest,  was  not  then 
destined  to  be. 

It  was  left  for  a  future  generation  and  its  Joshua  to 
go  up  in  the  might  of  the  Lord  and  redeem  Zion. 


78  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Yet  not  alone  upon  Zion's  Camp  must  rest  the 
responsibility  of  their  failure  to  redeem  Zion.  It  bears 
with  at  least  equal  weight  upon  those  whom  they  came  to 
succor. 

What  said  the  Lord  concerning  them? 

''Behold,  they  have  not  learned  to  be  obedient, 
*     *     but  are    full  of  all    manner  of  evil,    and    do  not 
impart  of  their  substance,   as   becometh  Saints,   to  the 
poor  and  afflicted  among  them." 

Is  not  the  episode  of  the  fowl,  related  by  Heber,  a 
tell-tale  straw  before  the  wind  in  this  connection?  Can 
a  people  honey-combed  with  selfishness  build  up  Zion? 

"And  are  not  united  according  to  the  union  required 
by  the  law  of  the  celestial  kingdom;" — 

Again  that  injunction  of  unity,  the  secret  of  Zion's 
redemption.  "Except  ye  are  one  ye  are  not  mine." 

"And  Zion  cannot  be  built  up  unless  it  is  by  the 
principles  of  the  law  of  the  celestial  kingdom,  otherwise 
I  cannot  receive  her  unto  myself." 

Wonderful  revealing,  this.  What  is  it  but  to  say 
that  the  United  Order,  the  Order  of  Enoch,  the  Order  of 
Zion,  is  the  order  of  the  celestial  worlds,  where  the 
Gods,  a  divine  brotherhood,  have  "all  things  common?" 

"Therefore  it  is  expedient  in  me  that  mine  elders 
should  wait  for  a  little  season,  for  the  redemption  of 
Zion." 

Is  it  marvelous  that  this  should  be  ;  that  a  work  of 
such  magnitude  should  require  preparation  ;  that  Zion, 
city  of  holiness,  should  be  built  up  only  by  the  pure  in 
heart  ?  Ah,  reader,  the  redemption  of  Zion  is  more  than 
the  purchase  or  recovery  of  lands,  the  building  of  cities, 
or  even  the  founding  of  nations.  It  is  the  conquest  of 
the  heart,  the  subjugation  of  the  soul,  the  sanctifying  of 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  79 

the  flesh,  the  purifying  and  ennobling  of  the  passions. 
Greater  is  he  who  subdues  himself,  who  captures  and 
maintains  the  citadel  of  his  own  soul,  than  he  who,  mis- 
named conqueror,  fills  the  world  with  the  roar  of  drums, 
the  thunder  of  cannon,  the  lightning  of  swords  and 
bayonets,  overturns  and  sets  up  kingdoms,  lives  and 
reigns  a  king,  yet  wears  to  the  grave  the  fetters  of 
unbridled  lust,  and  dies  the  slave  of  sin. 

In  her  children's  hearts  must  Zion  first  be  built  up 
and  redeemed  ;  ' 'every  man  seeking  the  interest  of  his 
neighbor,  and  doing  all  things  with  an  eye  single  to  the 
glory  of  God."  When  the  fig-tree  of  Israel's  faith  puts 
forth  such  leaves,  then  know  that  the  summer  is  nigh. 

"And  this  cannot  be  brought  to  pass,  until  mine 
elders  are  endowed  with  power  from  on  high." 

And  yet  were  these  same  elders,  unendowed,  sent 
forth  to  redeem  Zion?  Surely  the  Lord  did  not  design 
it  then  to  be.  Else,  would  he  not  have  endowed  them 
before-hand  ?  This  admitted,  and  what  becomes  of  their 
"failure?" 

Ah,  there  are  many  such  failures  in  a  sublime  success. 
They  are  but  steps  in  the  stairway  of  triumph  and  victory. 

What  did  Zion's  Camp  achieve?  It  cast  the  shadow 
•of  a  coming  event ;  struck  the  spark  that  shall  kindle  to 
a  flame  ;  fixed  on  the  horizon  of  history  a  shining  star, 
the  herald  of  a  glory  yet  to  come. 


CHAPTER  X. 

BUILDING    THE    TEMPLE JOSEPH    AND     HEBER     WORKING    IN 

THE     QUARRY THE    THEOLOGICAL    SCHOOL A     LESSON 

ON  FAITH CALL  OF    THE    TWELVE HEBER  C.   KIMBALL. 

ORDAINED  AN  APOSTLE. 

THE  work  now  engaging,  almost  exclusively,  the 
attention  of  the  Church  in  Kirtland,  was  the  building  of" 
the  Temple.  This  edifice  was  begun  in  June,  1833.  The 
walls  were  partly  reared  when,  in  the  year  following,  the 
expedition  for  the  relief  of  the  Missouri  Saints  took  from 
Kirtland  nearly  all  the  able-bodied  men  whose  means 
and  energies,  otherwise,  would  have  been  employed 
upon  the  Lord's  House. 

But  the  sacred  enterprise  was  not  suffered  to  lan- 
guish. The  elders  left  in  charge  were  untiring  in  their 
efforts  to  promote  the  work.  The  brethren  labored  day 
and  night,  and  the  sisters — among  the  foremost,  as  ever, 
in  a  good  cause — were  not  one  whit  behind.  Says 
Heber  : 

"Our  women  were  engaged  in  knitting  and  spinning, 
in  order  to  clothe  those  who  were  laboring  at  the  build- 
ing ;  and  the  Lord  only  knows  the  scenes  of  poverty, 
tribulation  and  distress  which  we  passed  through  to 
accomplish  it.  My  wife  had  toiled  all  summer  in  lending 
her  aid  towards  its  accomplishment.  She  took  a  hun- 
dred pounds  of  wool  to  spin  on  shares,  which,  with  the 
assistance  of  a  girl,  she  spun,  in  order  to  furnish  clothing 
for  those  engaged  in  building  the  temple  ;  and  although 
she  had  the  privilege  of  keeping  half  the  quantity  of 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  8 1 

wool  for  herself,  as  a  recompense  for  her  labor,  she  did 
not  reserve  even  so  much  as  would  make  a  pair  of 
stockings,  but  gave  it  for  those  who  were  laboring  at  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  She  spun  and  wove,  and  got  the 
cloth  dressed  and  cut  and  made  up  into  garments,  and 
gave  them  to  the  laborers  on  the  temple.  Almost  all 
the  sisters  in  Kirtland  labored  in  knitting,  sewing,  spin- 
ning, etc.,  for  the  same  purpose ;  while  we  went  up  to 
Missouri  to  endeavor  to  reinstate  our  brethren  on  the 
lands  from  which  they  had  been  driven. 

"Elder  Rigdon,  when  addressing  the  brethren  upon 
the  importance  of  building  this  house,  spake  to  this  effect : 
That  we  should  use  every  effort  to  accomplish  this  build- 
ing by  the  time  appointed ;  if  we  did  the  Lord  would 
accept  it  at  our  hands;  and  on  it  depends  the  salvation 
of  the  Church,  and  also  of  the  world.  Looking  at  the 
sufferings  and  poverty  of  the  Church,  he  frequently 
went  upon  the  walls  of  the  building,  both  by  night  and 
day,  and  wept,  crying  aloud  to  the  Almighty  to  send 
means  whereby  we  might  accomplish  the  building. 

"After  we  returned  from  our  journey  to  the  West, 
the  whole  Church  united  in  this  great  undertaking,  and 
every  man  lent  a  helping  hand.  Those  who  had  not 
teams  went  to  work  in  the  stone  quarry  and  prepared 
the  stones  for  drawing  to  the  house. 

"The  Prophet,  being  our  foreman,  would  put  on  his 
tow  frock  and  tow  pantaloons  and  go  into  the  quarry. 
The  Presidency,  High  Priests  and  Elders  all  alike  assist- 
ing. Those  who  had  teams  assisted  in  drawing  the  stone 
to  the  house.  These  all  laboring  one  day  in  the  week, 
brought  as  many  stones  to  the  house  as  supplied  the 
masons  through  the  whole  week.  We  continued  in  this 
manner  until  the  walls  of  the  house  were  reared.  The 
committee  who  were  appointed  by  revelation  to  superin- 


82  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

tend  the  building  were  Hyrum  Smith,  Reynolds  Cahoon 
and  Jared  Carter.  They  used  every  exertion  in  their 
power  to  forward  the  work." 

During  the  winter  of  1834-5,  Heber  attended  the 
theological  school  established  in  Kirtland.  Here  origin- 
ated the  lectures  on  faith,  contained  in  the  book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants.  It  was  the  custom,  at  these  meet- 
ings, to  call  upon  a  certain  number  to  speak  for  the  edi- 
fication of  the  others.  Heber,  on  one  occasion,  was 
invited  to  address  them  on  the  subject  of  faith.  Every 
passage  of  scripture  bearing  on  the  theme  having  been 
quoted  by  previous  speakers,  and  not  wishing  to  repeat 
what  they  had  said,  he  was  left  to  depend  entirely  upon 
the  Spirit.  He  began  by  relating  the  following  anecdote, 
the  incident  of  which  had  occurred  in  his  own  family: 

"My  wife,  one  day,  when  going  out  on  a  visit,  gave 
my  daughter  Helen  Mar  charge  not  to  touch  the  dishes, 
for  if  she  broke  any  during  her  absence  she  would  give 
her  a  whipping  when  she  returned.  While  my  wife  was 
absent  my  daughter  broke  a  number  of  the  dishes  by 
letting  the  table  leaf  fall,  and  then  she  went  out  under 
an  apple  tree  and  prayed  that  her  mother's  heart  might 
be  softened,  that  when  she  returned  she  might  not  whip 
her.  Her  mother  was  very  punctual  when  she  made  a 
promise  to  her  children,  to  fulfill  it,  and  when  she  returned 
she  undertook,  as  a  duty,  to  carry  this  promise  into 
effect.  She  retired  with  her  into  her  room,  but  found 
herself  powerless  to  chastise  her ;  her  heart  was  so  soft- 
ened that  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  raise  her  hand 
against  the  child.  Afterwards,  Helen  told  her  mother 
she  had  prayed  to  the  Lord  that  she  might  not  whip  her." 

Heber  paused  in  his  simple  narrative.  Tears  glis- 
tened in  the  eyes  of  his  hearers ;  the  Prophet  Joseph  was 
weeping  like  a  child.  He  told  the  brethren  that  that  was 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  83 

the  kind  of  faith  they  needed ;  the  faith  of  a  little  child, 
going  in  humility  to  its  Parent,,  and  asking  for  the  desire 
of  its  heart.  He  said  the  anecdote  was  well-timed. 

A  grammar  school  was  opened  in  Kirtland  the  same 
winter,  taught  by  Sidney  Rigdon  and  William  E.  McLel- 
lin.  Most  of  the  Elders,  including  the  Prophet,  attended 
this  school.  Some  of  them  were  very  apt  pupils  and 
made  rapid  headway.  Heber's  progress,  however,  was 
only  moderate.  Grammar,  as  a  study,  afforded  him  little 
delight.  The  mysteries  of  syntax  seemed  to  elude  his 
mental  grasp,  as  the  will-o'-the-wisp  the  eye  and  hand 
of  its  pursuer.  A  lover  of  choice  language,  and,  when 
loftily  inspired,  a  user  of  much  that  was  beautiful  and 
sublime ;  a  never-failing  fountain  of  poetic  thought  and 
imagery ;  the  technicalities  of  his  mother  tongue  neverthe- 
less seemed  to  baffle  him.  His  forte  lay  elsewhere.  He 
was  a  philosopher,  rather  than  an  orator.  Many  excelled 
him  in  speaking,  but  few,  as  thinkers,  were  his  equals.  If, 
in  the  gift  of  speech,  the  power  of  expression,  he  fell  below 
many  of  his  confreres,  he  had  thoughts,  ideas,  inspira- 
tions, toward  which,  as  eagles  toward  the  sun,  their  lofti- 
est oratory  soared  in  vain.  His  words,  though  humble, 
were  as  sparks  of  prophecy  from  the  Spirit's  flaming 
forge ;  his  inspired  utterances,  casual  as  they  sometimes 
seemed,  were  like  oracles  and  decrees  of  fate. 

"I  used  to  tell  Brother  Heber  I  never  wanted  him 
to  say  anything  but  good  of  me,"  an  Apostle  once 
remarked,  significantly,  in  the  hearing  of  the  writer. 

Some  six  weeks  after  the  establishment  of  the  gram- 
mar school,  a  meeting  of  the  Camp  of  Zion  was  called  to 
assemble,  to  receive  what  was  termed  "a  Zion's  bless- 
ing." At  this  meeting  it  was  announced  by  the  Prophet 
that  "those  who  went  to  Zion  with  a  determination  to  lay 
down  their  lives,  if  necessary,  it  was  the  will  of  God  that 


84  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

they  should  be  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  go  forth  to 
prune  the  vineyard  for  the  last  time,  or  the  coming  of  the 
Lord,  which  was  nigh — even  fifty-six  years  should  wind 
up  the  scene." 

Foremost  of  these  evangelists,  were  to  be  chosen 
twelve  men,  to  be  known  as  the  Twelve  Apostles. 

The  calling  of  the  Twelve  had  been  revealed  to 
Joseph  as  early  as  June,  1829.  In  the  same  revelation  it 
was  given  to  Oliver  Cowdery  and  David  Whitmer — 
whose  calling,  the  Lord  said,  was  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Apostle  Paul — to  ' 'search  out  the  Twelve,"  and  make 
known  to  them  their  mission. 

Little  thought  Heber  that  he  was  to  be  one  of  them, 
and  would  live  to  make  his  name  illustrious  as  a  bearer 
of  glad  tidings  to  the  nations.  It  is  doubtful  that  he 
even  knew,  at  that  time,  of  the  intention  to  choose  the 
Apostles.  The  revelations  were  not  published  then,  as 
now,  and  few  had  access  to  the  manuscripts  in  those 
early  days. 

The  day  set  for  the  choosing  of  the  Twelve  was 
Saturday,  February  I4th,  1835.  The  meeting  having 
been  duly  organized,  an  expression  was  taken  whereby 
the  Elders  present  signified  their  willingness  and  "anx- 
ious desire"  to  have  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  dictate  in  the 
choice  of  the  Apostles.  The  three  witnesses — Oliver 
Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and  Martin  Harris,  each  in 
turn  then  offered  prayer.  They  were  blessed  under 
the  hands  of  the  First  Presidency,  and  then  proceeded 
to  call  forth  the  Twelve. 

The  first  three  chosen  were  Lyman  E.  Johnson, 
Brigham  Young  and  Heber  C.  Kimball.  They  were 
called  into  the  stand,  and,  after  expressing  themselves  in 
relation  to  the  holy  calling  about  to  be  conferred  upon 
them,  were  ordained  under  the  hands  of  the  First  Presi- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  85 

dency  and  the  Three  Witnesses.  "These  brethren," 
says  Heber,  "ordained  us  to  the  Apostleship."  Here  is 
a  copy  of  his  ordination  blessing: 

"  Heber  C.  Kimball  shall  be  made  like  unto  those 
who  have  been  blessed  before  him,  and  he  shall  be 
favored  with  the  same  blessing ;  that  he  may  receive 
visions,  the  ministration  of  angels,  and  hear  their  voices, 
and  even  come  into  the  presence  of  God.  That  many 
millions  may  be  converted  by  his  instrumentality,  that 
angels  may  waft  him  from  place  to  place,  and  that  he 
may  stand  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord ;  that  he  shall 
be  made  acquainted  with  the  day  when  Christ  shall  come; 
that  he  shall  be  made  perfect  in  faith ;  that  the  deaf  shall 
hear,  the  lame  shall  walk,  the  blind  shall  see,  and  greater 

o 

things  than  these  shall  he  do  ;  and  that  he  shall  have  bold- 
ness of  speech  before  the  nations,  and  great  power."  Etc. 

The  next  day  Orson  Hyde,  David  W.  Patten,  Luke 
S.  Johnson,  William  E.  McLellin,  John  F.  Boynton  and 
William  Smith  were  chosen  in  like  manner.  The  remain- 
ing three  of  the  Twelve  were  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt 
and  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  who  were  absent  at  the  time  of 
choosing.  Parley  was  ordained  an  Apostle  on  February 
2 ist,  Thomas  B.  Marsh  on  the  25th  or  26th  of  April, 
and  Orson  Pratt  on  the  26th  of  that  month. 

No  history  of  this  important  event  would  be  com- 
plete without  the  famous  "Charge  to  the  Twelve,"  deliv- 
ered by  President  Oliver  Cowdery.  It  was  as  follows  : 

"DEAR  BRETHREN: -- Previously  to  delivering  the 
charge  I  shall  read  a  part  of  a  revelation.  It  is  known 
to  you  that  previous  to  the  organization  of  this  Church 
in  1830,  the  Lord  gave  revelations  or  the  Church  could 
not  have  been  organized. 

"The  people  of  this  Church  were  weak  in  faith  com- 
pared with  the  ancients.  Those  who  embarked  in  this 
cause  were  desirous  to  know  how  the  work  was  to  be 
conducted.  They  had  read  many  things  in  the  Book  of 


86  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Mormon  concerning  their  duty  and  the  way  the  great 
work  ought  to  be  done ;  but  the  minds  of  men  are  so 
constructed  that  they  will  not  believe  without  a  testimony 
of  seeing  or  hearing.  The  Lord  gave  us  a  revelation 
that  in  process  of  time  there  should  be  twelve  chosen  to 
preach  His  Gospel  to  Jew  and  Gentile.  Our  minds  have 
been  on  a  constant  stretch  to  find  who  these  twelve  were. 

''When  the  time  should  come,  we  could  not  tell,  but 
we  sought  the  Lord  by  fasting  and  prayer,  to  have  our 
lives  prolonged  to  see  this  day,  to  see  you,  and  to  take 
a  retrospect  of  the  difficulties  through  which  we  have 
passed.  But  having  seen  the  day,  it  becomes  my  duty 
to  deliver  to  you  a  charge.  And  first,  a  few  remarks 
respecting  your  ministry.  You  have  many  revelations 
put  into  your  hands,  revelations  to  make  you  acquainted 
with  the  nature  of  your  mission.  You  will  have  difficul- 
ties by  reason  of  your  visiting  all  the  nations  of  the 
world.  You  will  need  wisdom  in  a  two-fold  proportion 
to  what  you  have  ever  had.  You  will  have  to  combat  all 
the  prejudices  of  all  nations."  He  then  read  the  revela- 
tion and  proceeded  to  say,  "  Have  you  desired  this  min- 
istry with  all  your  hearts?  If  you  have  desired  it,  you 
are  called  of  God,  not  of  man,  to  go  into  all  the  world." 
He  read  again  from  the  revelation,  what  the  Lord  said 
to  the  twelve  brethren.  "You  have  your  duty  presented 
in  revelation.  You  have  been  ordained  to  the  Holy 
Priesthood.  You  have  received  it  from  those  who 
had  their  power  and  authority  from  an  angel.  You 
are  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  nation.  Should  you 
in  the  least  degree  come  short  of  your  duty,  great  will  be 
your  condemnation,  for  the  greater  the  calling,  the  greater 
the  transgression.  I,  therefore,  warn  you  to  cultivate 
great  humility,  for  I  know  the  pride  of  the  human  heart. 
Beware  lest  the  flatterers  of  the  world  lift  you  up.  Beware 
lest  your  affections  are  captivated  by  worldly  objects. 

"Let  your  ministry  be  first.  Remember  the  souls 
of  men  are  committed  to  your  charge,  and  if  you  mind 
your  calling  you  shall  always  prosper.  You  have. been 
indebted  to  other  men  in  the  first  instance  for  evidence, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  8/ 

on  that  you  have  acted.  But  it  is  necessary  that  you 
receive  a  testimony  from  Heaven  for  yourselves,  so  that 
you  can  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, and  that  you  have  seen  the  face  of  God ;  that  is 
more  than  the  testimony  of  an  angel.  When  the  proper 
time  arrives,  you  shall  be  able  to  bear  this  testimony  to 
the  world.  When  you  bear  testimony  that  you  have  seen 
God,  this  testimony  God  will  never  suffer  to  fall,  but  will 
bear  you  out,  although  many  will  not  give  heed,  yet  others 
will.  You  will  therefore  see  the  necessity  of  getting  this 
testimony  from  Heaven.  Never  cease  striving  until  you 
have  seen  God  face  to  face.  Strengthen  your  faith,  cast 
off  your  doubts,  your  sins  and  all  your  unbelief,  and 
nothing  can  prevent  you  from  coming  to  God.  Your 
ordination  is  not'full  and  complete  till  God  has  laid  His 
hand  upon  you.  We  require  as  much  to  qualify  us  as 
did  those  who  have  gone  before  us.  God  is  the  same. 
If  the  Savior  in  former  days  laid  His  hands  on  His  disci- 
ples, why  not  in  the  latter  days? 

"With  regard  to  superiority  I  must  make  a  few 
remarks.  The  ancient  Apostles  sought  to  be  great ;  but, 
brethren,  lest  the  seeds  of  discord  be  sown  in  this  mat- 
ter, understand  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  on  this  occasion, 
God  does  not  love  you  better  or  more  than  others.  You 
are  to  contend  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints. 
Jacob,  you  know,  wrestled  till  he  obtained.  It  was  by  fer- 
vent prayer  and  diligent  search  that  you  have  obtained 
the  testimony  that  you  are  now  able  to  bear.  You  are 
as  one.  You  are  equal  in  bearing  the  keys  of  the  king- 
dom to  all  nations. 

"You  are  called  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God  to  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is  the  will  of  your 
Heavenly  Father  that  you  proclaim  His  Gospel  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth  and  the  islands  of  the  sea.  Be  zealous  to  save 
souls.  The  soul  of  one  man  is  as  precious  as  the  soul  of 
another.  You  are  to  bear  this  message  to  those  who 
consider  themselves  wise,  and  such  may  persecute  you  ; 
they  may  seek  your  life.  The  adversary  has  always 
sought  the  lives  of  the  servants  of  God.  You  are,  there- 


88  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

fore,  to  be  prepared  at  all  times  to  make  a  sacrifice  of 
your  lives,  should  the  Lord  require  them  in  the  advance- 
ment and  building  up  of  His  cause.  Murmur  not  at 
God.  Be  always  prayerful,  be  always  watchful.  You 
will  bear  with  me  while  I  relieve  the  feelings  of  my  heart. 
We  shall  not  see  another  day  like  this.  The  time  has 
fully  come.  The  voice  of  the  Spirit  has  come  to  set 
these  men  apart.  You  will  see  the  time  when  you  will 
desire  to  see  such  a  day  as  this,  and  you  will  not  see  it. 
Every  heart  wishes  you  peace  and  prosperity,  but  the 
scene  with  you  will  inevitably  change.  Let  no  man  take 
your  Bishopric,  and  beware  that  you  lose  not  your 
crowns.  It  will  require  your  whole  souls.  It  will  require 
courage  like  Enoch's.  The  time  is  near  when  you  will 
be  in  the  midst  of  congregations  who  will  gnash  their 
teeth  upon  you.  This  Gospel  must  roll  and  will  roll  till 
it  fills  the  whole  earth. 

"Did  I  say  congregations  would  gnash  upon  you? 
Yea,  I  say  nations  will  gnash  upon  you.  You  will  be 
considered  the  worst  of  men.  Be  not  discouraged  at 
this.  When  God  pours  out  His  Spirit  the  enemy  will 
rage,  but  God,  remember,  is  on  your  right  hand  and  on 
your  left.  A  man,  though  he  may  be  considered  the 
worst,  has  joy  who  is  conscious  that  he  pleases  God. 
The  lives  of  those  who  proclaim  the  true  Gospel  will  be 
in  danger.  This  has  been  the  case  ever  since  the  days  of 
righteous  Abel. 

"The  same  opposition  has  been  manifest  whenever 
men  came  forward  to  publish  the  Gospel.  The  time  is 
coming  when  you  will  be  considered  the  worst  by  many, 
and  by  some  the  best  of  men.  The  time  is  coming  when 
you  will  be  perfectly  familiar  with  the  things  of  God. 
This  testimony  will  make  those  who  do  not  believe  your 
testimony,  seek  your  lives.  But  there  are  whole  nations 
who  will  receive  your  testimony.  They  will  call  you 
good  men.  Be  not  lifted  up  when  you  are  called  good 
men.  Remember  you  are  young  men,  and  you  shall  be 
spared.  I  include  the  other  three.  Bear  them  in  mind 
in  your  prayers,  carry  their  cares  to  a  throne  of  grace. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  89 

Although  they  are   not  present  yet  you  and   they  are 
equal. 

''This  appointment  is  calculated  to  create  an  affec- 
tion in  you,  for  each  other,  stronger  than  death.  You 
will  travel  to  other  nations.  Bear  each  other  in  mind. 
If  one  or  more  is  cast  into  prison,  let  the  others  pray 
for  him  and  deliver  him  by  their  prayers. 

"Your  lives  shall  be  in  great  jeopardy,  but  the 
promise  of  God  is  that  you  shall  be  delivered.  Remem- 
ber you  are  not  to  go  to  other  nations  till  you  receive 
your  endowment.  Tarry  at  Kirtland  until  you  are 
endowed  with  power  from  on  high.  You  need  a  fountain 
of  wisdom,  knowledge  and  intelligence  such  as  you  never 
had.  Relative  to  the  endowment,  I  make  a  remark  or 
two,  that  there  be  no  mistake.  The  world  cannot  receive 
the  things  of  God.  He  can  endow  you  without  worldly 
pomp  or  great  parade.  He  can  give  you  that  wisdom,  that 
intelligence  and  that  power  which  characterized  the  ancient 
Saints  and  now  characterizes  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper 
world.  The  greatness  of  your  commission  consists  in 
this  ;  you  are  to  hold  the  keys  of  this  ministry.  You  are 
to  go  to  the  nations  afar  off;  nations  that  sit  in  darkness. 
The  day  is  coming  when  the  work  of  God  must  be  done. 
Israel  shall  be  gathered.  The  seed  of  Jacob  shall  be 
gathered  from  their  long  dispersion.  There  will  be  a 
feast  to  Israel  the  elect  of  God.  It  is  a  sorrowful  tale, 
but  the  Gospel  must  be  preached  and  His  (God's) 
ministers  be  rejected,  but  where  can  Israel  be  found,  and 
receive  your  testimony  and  not  rejoice  ?  Nowhere. 
The  prophecies  are  full  of  great  things  that  are  to  take 
place  in  the  last  days.  After  the  elect  is  gathered  out, 
destruction  shall  come  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth. 
All  nations  shall  feel  the  wrath  of  God  after  they  have 
been  warned  by  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High.  If  you 
will  not  warn  them  others  will  and  you  will  lose  your 
crowns.  You  must  prepare  your  minds  to  bid  a  long 
farewell  to  Kirtland,  even  till  the  great  day  come.  You 
will  see  what  you  never  expected  to  see.  You  will  need 
the  mind  of  Enoch  or  Elijah  and  the  faith  of  the  brother 


9O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

of  Jared.  You  must  be  prepared  to  walk  by  faith,  however 
appalling  the  prospect  to  human  view.  You,  and  each 
of  you  should  feel  the  force  of  the  imperious  mandate. 
Son,  go  labor  in  my  vineyard,  and  cheerfully  receive  what 
comes,  but  in  the  end  you  will  stand  while  others  will 
fall.  You  have  read  in  the  revelation  concerning  ordina- 
tion. Beware  how  you  ordain,  for  all  nations  are  not  like 
this  nation.  They  will  willingly  receive  the  ordinances 
at  your  hand  to  put  you  out  of  the  way.  There  will 
be  times,  when  nothing  but  the  angels  of  God  can  deliver 
you  out  of  their  hand.  We  appeal  to  your  intelligence, 
we  appeal  to  your  understanding,  that  we  have  so  far 
discharged  our  duty  to  you.  We  consider  it  one  of  the 
greatest  condescensions  of  our  Heavenly  Father  in  point- 
ing you  out  to  us.  You  will  be  stewards  over  this  ministry. 
"We  have  work  to  do  that  no  other  men  can  do. 
You  must  proclaim  the  Gospel  in  its  simplicity  and 
purity,  and  we  commend  you  to  God  and  the  word  of 
His  grace.  You  have  our  best  wishes,  you  have  our  most 
fervent  prayers  that  you  may  be  able  to  bear  this  testi- 
mony, that  you  have  seen  the  face  of  God.  Therefore 
call  upon  Him  in  faith  and  mighty  prayer  till  you  prevail, 
for  it  is  your  duty  and  your  privilege  to  bear  such  testi- 
mony for  yourselves.  We  now  expect  you  to  be  faith- 
ful, to  fulfill  your  calling,  there  must  be  no  lack  here. 
You  must  fulfill  in  all  things,  and  permit  us  to  repeat,  all 
nations  have  a  claim  on  you.  You  are  bound  together 
as  the  three  witnesses  were,  you,  notwithstanding  can 
part  and  meet  and  meet  and  part  again  till  your  heads 
are  silvered  o'er  with  age." 

He  then  took  them  separately  by  the  hand  and  said: 
"Do  you  with  full  purpose  of  heart  take  part  in  this 
ministry,  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  with  all  diligence  with 
those  your  brethren,  according  to  the  tenor  and  intent  of 
the  charge  you  have  received."  Each  of  them  answered 
in  the  affirmative. 

Thus  were  chosen  the  first  Twelve  Apostles  of  the 
last  dispensation.  The  first  quorum  of  Seventies,  their 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  9 1 

co-laborers  in  the  ministry,  was  called  into  existence 
about  the  same  time,  its  members  being  selected,  as  the 
Twelve  had  been,  from  the  survivors  of  Zion's  Camp, 
whose  faith  and  integrity  had  been  tried  and  proven. 

The  Apostles  assembled  from  time  to  time  to  receive 
instructions  from  the  Prophet,  and  strengthen  each  other 
in  the  Lord.  One  evening  when  they  had  met  together 
for  this  purpose,  the  grand  revelation  on  Priesthood 
(now  forming  the  first  half  of  Section  107  of  the  book  of 
Doctrine  and  Covenants)  was  given. 

Sunday,  April  5th,  1835.  Says  Heber:  "The 
Twelve  had  not  all,  as  yet,  been  together,  and  as  the 
time  drew  near  that  we  should  travel  to  the  east,  we 
appointed  this  day  to  bear  our  testimony  unto  our 
brethren  and  friends.  We  were  all  assembled  together 
with  the  exception  of  Brother  Orson  Pratt,  who  had 
not  yet  been  with  us.  We  proceeded  to  speak  accord- 
ing to  our  ages,  the  oldest  speaking  first.  This  day 
Brothers  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  David  W.  Patten,  Brigham 
Young  and  Heber  C.  Kimball  spoke.  Sunday,  i2th, 
Brothers  Orson  Hyde,  William  E.  McLellin,  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  and  Luke  S.  Johnson  spoke.  Sunday,  iQth, 
Brothers  William  Smith,  John  F.  Boynton  and  Lyman 
E.  Johnson  spoke,  closing  the  testimony  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  to  the  people  in  Kirtland  at  that  time. 
Sunday,  26th,  Brother  Orson  Pratt  entered  the  house 
while  we  were  opening  the  meeting  and  praying  and 
wishing  for  his  arrival.  He  was  ordained  an  apostle,  and 
we  received  our  charge  from  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet." 

The  eldest  of  the  Apostles,  Thos.  B.  Marsh,  thus 
became  president  of  the  quorum  ;  though  the  Twelve 
were  all  equal  in  authority.  This  order  was  agreeable  to 
the  will  of  Heaven. 


CHAPTER    XL 

FIRST  MISSION  OF  THE  TWELVE I^EBER  REVISITS  THE  SCENES 

OF  HIS  CHILDHOOD MOBBING  AN  ABOLITIONIST "THE 

ACCUSER    OF    THE    BRETHREN" DAYS    OF    REPENTANCE 

AND  REFORMATION. 

THE  Apostles  started  on  their  first  mission,  May 
4th,  1835.  They  traveled  through  the  eastern  states 
and  Upper  Canada,  preaching,  baptizing,  setting  in  order 
the  branches  of  the  Church,  counseling  the  Saints  to 
gather  westward,  and  collecting  means  for  the  purchase 
of  lands  in  Missouri  and  the  completion  of  the  Lord's 
House  in  Kirtland.  Like  the  Apostles  anciently,  they 
went  forth  two  by  two,  traveling  "without  purse  or 
scrip,"  and  preaching  by  the  way.  Heber's  first  com- 
panion was  William  Smith,  brother  to  the  Prophet. 

Separating  at  Dunkirk,  New  York,  on  the  5th  of 
May,  the  Apostles  met  in  conference  on  the  Qth,  at 
Westfield,  Chautauqua  County.  Here  they  sat  in  coun- 
cil upon  the  first  case  brought  before  them  for  adjudica- 
tion. A  local  traveling  Elder  named  Joseph  Rose  had 
been  teaching  erroneous  doctrine  and  perverting  the 
word  of  God,  in  that  he  spiritualized  the  literal  promise 
of  the  Savior  ;  that  before  His  second  coming  the  sun 
should  be  darkened  and  the  moon  turned  to  blood.  Rose 
asserted  that  the  Jewish  church  was  the  sun,  darkened, 
and  the  Gentile  church,  the  moon,  which  should  be 
turned  to  blood.  He  was  shown  his  error  and  reproved 
sharply,  whereupon  he  humbly  acknowledged  his  fault. 

At  Mendon,  his  former  home,  Heber  and  his  com- 
panion, Elder  Orson  Hyde,  were  confronted  by  a  Bap- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  93 

tist  priest  named  Fulton,  who  withstood  them  harshly. 
Says  Heber:  "He  called  us  false  prophets,  and,  reject- 
ing our  testimony,  advised  us  to  go  home.  We  declared 
unto  him  that  we  should  go  forth  preaching  the  Gospel, 
and  no  power  should  stay  us.  I  told  him  if  he  did  not 
repent  of  his  sins  and  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of 
them,  he  would  be  damned  ;  which  made  him  angry.  We 
then  passed  on  until  we  came  to  a  pure  stream  of  water, 
and  there  cleansed  our  feet,  bearing  testimony  against 
him,  as  the  Lord  commanded." 

At  the  Lyonstown  conference,  on  the  6th  of  June, 
it  was  Heber's  turn  to  preside ;  the  Twelve  having  been 
instructed  by  the  Prophet  to  preside  in  turn  at  their 
meetings  according  to  their  ages.  From  here  Elder 
Kimball  traveled  in  company  with  Elder  Luke  Johnson 
towards  Pillowpoint,  the  place  of  the  next  conference. 
In  the  town  of  Rose  they  were  cordially  received,  but  in 
Hewton  were  turned  away  from  twelve  houses,  where 
they  had  solicited  entertainment.  At  midnight  they  put 
up  at  an  inn,  retiring  supperless  to  bed,  as  they  had  but 
one  shilling  with  which  to  pay  for  their  lodging.  A  walk 
of  six  miles  before  breakfast  next  morning  brought  them 
to  Esquire  David  Ellsworth's  where  they  were  warmly 
welcomed  and  hospitably  entertained.  The  Apostles 
blessed  the  kind  souls  who  thus  administered  to  their 
wants,  and  who,  on  bidding  them  farewell,  gave  them 
money,  wished  them  God-speed  and  wept  at  their  depart- 
ure. About  one  year  later  the  whole  family  embraced 
the  Gospel. 

At  Pillowpoint,  Jefferson  County,  a  conference  was 
held  on  the  igth  of  June.  Here  the  council  tried  John 
Elmer,  a  member  of  the  Church,  for  holding  views  and 
doctrines  opposed  to  the  principles  of  truth.  "When 
called  upon,  he  stated  that  he  had  had  many  visions  and 


94  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

revelations,  and  that  the  Lord  had  revealed  to  him  of  a  cer- 
tainty that  He  would  make  His  second  appearance  within 
fifteen  years  ;  also  that  the  Spirit  of  God  often  came  upon 
him  and  threw  him  down,  and  caused  him  to  disfigure 
himself,  or  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  or  of  the 
wicked,  and  then  come  to  life  again  in  the  presence  of 
others,  to  convince  them  that  he  was  a  man  of  God  and 
had  great  power.  He  also  stated  that  in  one  of  his  vis- 
ions the  Lord  Jesus  appeared  personally  and  laid  His 
hands  upon  him  and  sanctified  him,  both  soul  and  body, 
and  that  he  was  now  immortal  or  changed,  so  that  he 
would  never  die.  He  stated  that  he  could  hold  red-hot 
iron  or  live  coals  of  fire  in  his  hands  without  receiving 
any  injury;  together  with  other  curious  notions  and 
vagaries,  ascribing  them  all  to  the  power  of  God  ;  and 
that  he  never  would  deny  them,  although  the  Council 
and  whole  Church  should  decide  against  him.  The 
Council  endeavored  to  show  him  that  he  was  deceived 
by  the  adversary,  but  to  no  effect.  He  said  he  would 
rather  be  expelled  from  the  Church  than  give  up  any  of 
his  views  or  say  they  were  not  of  God.  Consequently 
the  Church  lifted  their  hands  against  him." 

While  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  Heber  received  a  letter 
from  his  wife,  apprising  him  of  the  birth  of  his  son,  Heber 
P.,  at  Kirtland,  on  the  ist  of  June.  His  joy  found  vent 
in  a  characteristic  burst  of  humor.  He  propounded  the 
following  riddle  to  the  brethren:  "  I  have  three  children 
now,  and  have  not  seen  one  of  them."  This  was  quite 
a  puzzle  to  them,  until  he  explained  that  the  one  he 
referred  to  was  the  infant  born  since  he  left  home. 

He  next  visited  his  native  state,  Vermont,  and 
remained  several  days  among  the  scenes  of  his  child- 
hood, visiting  and  preaching  to  his  relatives  and  acquaint- 
ances, and  wherever  opportunity  arose.  Some  believed, 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  95 

but  did  not  obey  the  Gospel.  A  false  prophet  named 
Davison  had  gone  through  the  country  some  time  before, 
deceiving  the  people  with  pretended  miracles.  They 
were  therefore  prejudiced  against  the  true  faith,  with  its 
new  and  strange  promises  of  spiritual  gifts  and  blessings. 

Crossing  over  the  Green  Mountains,  taking  a  by- 
path through  a  lonely  and  densely  timbered  wilderness, 
his  only  companions  the  wild  animals  and  screech-owls 
inhabiting  those  solitudes,  he  arrived  at  St.  Johnsbury, 
and  met  in  council  with  his  brethren  on  the  i;th  of  July. 
They  held  their  meetings  in  a  large  barn  belonging  to 
a  Mr.  Snow.  It  was  in  this  neighborhood  that  the  Snow, 
Farr,  Badger  and  Bingham  families  embraced  the  Gos- 
pel. Apostle  Erastus  Snow  was  born  at  St.  Johnsbury, 
November  9th,  1818. 

With  sore  and  blistered  feet,  Heber  now  traveled 
alone  down  the  Connecticut  river  into  New  Hampshire, 
visiting  the  town  of  Plainfield,  where  his  mother  was 
born.  He  met  with  considerable  opposition,  even 
among  his  own  kindred.  At  Bradford  the  Twelve  sat  in 
council  and  tried  Elder  Gladden  Bishop  for  teaching  false 
doctrine.  He  was  suspended  from  fellowship.  Heber 
next  visited  Boston,  in  company  with  Apostles  Thomas 
B.  Marsh  and  Brigham  Young,  and  after  spending 
several  days  with  the  Saints  in  that  city,  where  each  was 
presented  with  a  new  suit  of  clothes  by  Sisters  Fanny 
Brewer,  Polly  Voce  and  others,  they  went  northward  to 
the  state  of  Maine.  On  the  way  they  stopped  at  Dover, 
and  were  shown  through  a  large  cotton  factory,  the 
work-hands  all  suspending  operations  and  gazing  with 
much  curiosity  at  the  "  Mormon  Apostles." 

The  last  conference  of  the  year  1835  was  held  at 
Farmington,  Maine,  on  the  28th  of  August.  Having  ful- 
filled their  mission,  the  Apostles  agreed  to  return  to 


96  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Kirtland,  and  separated  with  that  understanding,  after 
appointing  a  day  and  hour  to  meet  upon  the  steamboat 
wharf  in  Buffalo. 

At  Concord,  New  Hampshire,  under  date  of  Sep- 
tember 3rd,  Heber  writes  thus  in  his  journal:  "Here  I 
understood  an  Abolitionist  named  Davis  was  going  to 
deliver  a  lecture  at  the  Court  House.  I  went  with  the 
other  stage  passengers  to  hear  his  principles.  After 
waiting  some  time  for  the  gentleman,  instead  of  seeing 
his  person  as  we  anticipated,  we  beheld  an  uproar  among 
the  people,  and  our  ears  were  saluted  with  the  howls  of 
three  or  four  hundred  demons  in  human  shape  who  were 
in  search  of  the  Abolitionist ;  and  not  finding  him  in  the 
State  House,  or  streets,  they  commenced  demolishing  a 
building  and  searching  others.  After  a  little  while  the 
peace  officers  prevailed  on  them  to  desist.  They  then 
prepared  an  effigy,  which  they  carried  through  the  streets 
on  a  rail  for  some  time  ;  then  forming  an  assembly  before 
the  State  House,  had  an  oration  delivered  on  the  subject 
and  burned  the  effigy,  while  the  men  of  the  city  dared 
not  open  their  mouths  or  say  ought  to  them.  They  then 
went  to  a  place  where  they  had  three  pieces  of  cannon, 
which  they  continued  firing  until  daylight.  This  was  a 
night  of  peculiar  feeling ;  reflecting  upon  the  night  when 
my  brethren  were  driven  from  their  homes  in  Jackson 
County,  Missouri,  by  a  similar  mob,  and  also  considering 
that  the  time  might  come  when  I  might  fall  into  the  hands 
of  a  like  band  of  ruffians,  my  cry  to  the  Lord  was,  Save 
the  man  from  the  hands  of  these  foul  monsters.  There 
was  such  an  uproar  in  the  city  next  morning,  that  it  took 
five  men  to  hold  the  horses  while  the  passengers  got  into 
the  stage.  This  man  was  one  of  the  first  lecturers  on 
Abolitionism  in  that  country,  and  it  was  then  very  unpop- 
ular." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  97 

At  Plainfield,  Heber  tarried  two  days  with  his  cousin, 
Charles  Spaulding,  in  the  house  where  his  mother  was 
born  and  reared.  From  him  he  received  a  legacy  of 
seven  dollars,  left  him  by  his  aunt,  Speedy  Spaulding, 
who  had  died  a  short  time  before.  This  money  enabled 
him  to  pursue  his  journey.  By  way  of  Albany,  New 
York,  Palmyra  and  the  hill  Cumorah,  he  proceeded  to 
Canandaigua,  where  lived  his  sister  Melvina  (Mrs.  James 
M.  Wheeler)  and  to  Byron,  the  home  of  his  sister  Abi- 
gail (Mrs.  Jesse  Mum).  Thence  he  rode  on  to  Buffalo,  the 
stage  arriving  just  one  hour  ahead  of  the  appointed  time. 
His  brethren,  the  Apostles,  were  all  there  awaiting  him. 

Taking  passage  on  board  the  steamer  'k  United 
States,"  they  had  gone  as  far  as  Dunkirk  when  the 
vessel  struck  a  rock  and  sprung  a  leak.  She  made  for 
Erie,  but  reached  there  with  difficulty,  being  obliged  to 
run  upon  a  sand-bar  to  keep  from  sinking.  Hailing  a 
passing  boat,  the  Apostles  left  the  disabled  steamer,  and 
on  board  the  other  arrived  at  Fairport,  from  which  point 
they  had  sailed  nearly  five  months  before.  Here  they 
hired  wagons  and  drove  on  to  Kirtland,  reaching  home 
on  the  25th  of  September. 

While  the  Apostles  were  absent  upon  this  mission, 
the  "accuser  of  the  brethren"  had  been  busy  sowing  dis- 
cord, with  a  view  to  causing  coldness  and  estrangement 
between  the  First  Presidency  and  the  Twelve.  Two  of 
the  Apostles,  Orson  Hyde  and  William  E.  McLellin, 
had  been  suspended  during  their  absence  and  called 
home  for  trial,  and,  so  great  was  the  influence  brought 
to  bear  by  misrepresentation  upon  the  minds  of  the 
Presidency,  they  had  been  led  to  mistrust  the  fidelity 
of  others. 

The  charge  against  Elders  Hyde  and  McLellin  was 
for  speaking  and  writing  disrespectfully  of  President  Rig- 


98  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

don,  in  his  manner  of  conducting  the   Kirtland  school. 
The    charge  was  substantiated,   and  the  brethren   con- 

o 

fessed  their  fault  and  were  restored  to  fellowship. 

The  accusations  against  the  Twelve  were  more 
serious.  It  was  said  that  they  had  sought  to  be  independ- 
ent of  the  presiding  quorum  of  the  Church,  and  had 
failed  to  fulfill  their  mission,  in  not  preaching,  at  the  Free- 
dom conference,  the  gathering  to  Zion,  or  the  collection 
of  means  for  the  Kirtland  Temple  and  the  purchase  of 
lands  in  Missouri.  Both  charges  were  proved  to  be 
groundless. 

At  the  council,  where  the  Apostles  laid  their  griev- 
ances before  the  Presidency,  and  "all  things  were  recon- 
ciled," the  Prophet  Joseph,  it  is  said,  made  a  covenant 
with  the  Twelve  that  never  again  would  he  entertain  a 
charge  against  them  on  one-sided  testimony,  or  pass  judg- 
ment upon  them  even  in  thought,  without  first  giving 
them  an  opportunity  of  being  heard  in  their  own  defense. 

If  this  noble,  just,  and  charitable  resolve  had  always 
been  adhered  to  by  the  Saints  of  God,  in  whom,  if  in 
any  people,  such  a  principle  should  find  its  exponents 
and  exemplars,  how  many  bitter  heart-burnings  might 
have  been  spared ;  how  many  reputations  remained 
unblasted,  enmities  unaroused,  wounds  uninflicted!  Had 
the  idle  gossip,  the  malicious  slanderer,  the  toadying, 
truckling  tale-bearer,  who  oscillates,  pendulum-like, 
between  man  and  man,  seeking  occasion  against  his 
brother,  making  him  "an  offender  for  a  word,"  coloring 
all  he  hears,  and  pouring  into  oft  too  willing  ears  his 
insidious  tale  of  derogations  and  detractions  ; — had  such 
characters  invariably  been  required  to  face  those  whom 
they  accused  and  to  prove  their  assertions,  who  can  say 
that  the  cause  of  Zion,  the  unity  and  purification  of  God's 
people,  would  not  have  been  subserved  rather  than 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  99 

injured  thereby  ?  Are  we  not  too  prone  to  heed  the 
tale-bearer,  the  secret  enemy,  who,  striking  unawares 
with  "the  shaft  that  flies  in  darkness,"  perchance  seeks 
to  build  up  his  own,  upon  the  ruins  of  his  brother's  rep- 
utation ;  and  too  slow  to  remember  justice  and  the  law  of 
God — that  in  the  mouths  of  two  or  three  witnesses,  and 
these  not  enemies  of  the  accused,  shall  every  word  be 
established? 

Well  might  Solomon  say,  and  well  may  it  be 
believed,  that  among  the  things  which  "  the  Lord  doth 
hate,"  are  "a  false  witness  that  speaketh  lies,  and  he  that 
soweth  discord  among  brethren." 

The  men  who  had  caused  the  trouble  between  the 
Presidency  and  the  Apostles,  or  those  whom  Heber  held 
responsible,  were  Warren  Cowdery,  Jared  Carter  and 
others,  who,  using  Oliver  Cowdery  and  other  influential 
Elders  near  the  person  of  the  Prophet,  as  conduits  of 
their  ill-will,  wrought  injury  to  their  brethren  who  were 
far  away,  unable,  because  absent,  to  defend  themselves. 

"I  will  here  remark,"  says  Heber,  "that  every 
individual  who  used  an  influence  against  the  Twelve 
on  their  mission,  apostatized  and  went  out  of  the 
Church ;  and  this  should  remain  an  everlasting  warning 
to  all  others.  In  those  days  there  was  a  continual  itch- 
ing in  certain  individuals  to  destroy  the  union  existing 
between  the  Twelve  and  the  First  Presidency,  and  the 
union  in  the  First  Presidency,  which  thing  they  did  at 
last  effect,  which  broke  up  the  Church  for  a  time ;  for 
Oliver  Cowdery,  Warren  Cowdery,  Jared  Carter,  Fred- 
erick G.  Williams,  and  six  of  the  Twelve  became  disaf- 
fected, and  turned  against  Joseph  and  those  of  the 
Twelve  who  sustained  him." 

As,  in  the  end,  good  comes  of  evil,  and  from  the 
compost-heap  springs  forth  the  flower  of  fragrance  and 


IOO  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

beauty,  so  from  the  unhappy  event  related,  issued  good 
and  glad  results.  From  the  time  the  reconciliation  took 
place  between  the  Presidency  and  the  Twelve,  a  reform- 
ation commenced  in  the  Church.  "Those  meetings," 
says  Heber,  "of  humiliation,  repentance,  and  confessing 
of  sins,  were  truly  the  beginning  of  good  days  to  us,  and 
they  continued  through  the  endowment." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

HEBER'S  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TEMPLE— ITS  DEDICATION — 

ANGELS      ADMINISTER THE      "BELOVED     DISCIPLE" 

JOHN    SEEN THE    SOLEMN    ASSEMBLY —THE    ELDERS 

ENDOWED    WITH    POWER    FROM    ON    HIGH HEBER'S 

LONE  MISSION. 

THE  Kirtland  Temple  was  dedicated  on  the  271x1  of 
March,  1836.  It  was  yet  in  an  unfinished  state,  but  for 
some  time  had  been  used  for  meetings  and  councils  of 
the  Priesthood.  From  Heber's  pen  we  have  the  follow- 
ing description  of  the  edifice  and  the  ceremonies  of  its 
dedication  : 

"This  building  the  Saints  commenced  in  1833,  m 
poverty,  and  without  means  to  do  it.  In  1834  they  com- 
pleted the  walls,  and  in  1835-6  they  nearly  finished  it. 
The  cost  was  between  sixty  and  seventy  thousand  dollars. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  gather  donations  ;  they 
traveled  among  the  churches  and  collected  a  consider- 
able amount,  but  not  sufficient,  so  that  in  the  end  they 
found  themselves  between  thirteen  and  fourteen  thousand 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  IOI 

dollars  in  debt.  This  house  was  Sox  60  feet,  and  57  feet 
high  to  the  eaves.  It  was  divided  into  two  stories,  each 
22  feet  high  and  arched  overhead.  Ten  feet  were  cut 
off  from  the  front  by  a  partition,  and  used  as  an  entry  or 
outer  court,  which  also  contained  the  stairs.  This  left 
the  main  room  55  x  65  feet  in  the  clear,  both  below  and 
above.  In  each  of  these  rooms  were  built  two  pulpits, 
one  in  each  end.  Each  pulpit  consisted  of  four  different 
apartments  ;  the  fourth  standing  on  a  platform  raised  a 
suitable  height  above  the  floor  ;  the  third  stood  directly 
behind  and  elevated  a  little  above  the  fourth  ;  the  second 
in  rear  of  and  elevated  above  the  third  ;  and  in  like 
manner  the  first  above  the  second.  Each  of  these  apart- 
ments was  just  large  enough  and  rightly  calculated  to 
seat  three  persons,  and  the  breastwork  in  front  of  each 
of  these  three  last  mentioned  was  constituted  of  three  semi- 
circles joining  each  other,  and  finished  in  good  style. 
The  fourth  or  lower  one,  was  straight  in  front,  and  had 
an  elegant  table  leaf  attached  to  it,  that  could  be  raised 
at  pleasure  for  the  convenience  of  administering  the 
sacrament,  etc.  These  pulpits  were  alike  in  each  end  of 
the  house.  One  was  for  the  use  of  the  Melchisedek  or 
High  Priesthood,  and  the  other  for  the  Aaronic  or  lesser 
Priesthood.  The  first  or  highest  apartment  was  occupied 
by  the  First  Presidency  over  the  whole  Church  ;  the 
second  apartment  by  the  Melchisedek  High  Priesthood  ; 
the  third  by  the  President  of  the  High  Priest's  Quorum  ; 
and  the  fourth  by  the  President  of  the  Elders  and  his 
two  counselors.  The  highest  apartment  of  the  other 
pulpit  was  occupied  by  the  Bishop  of  the  Church  and  his 
two  counselors  ;  the  next  by  the  President  of  the  Priests 
and  his  two  counselors  ;  the  third  by  the  President  of  the 
Teachers  and  his  two  counselors  ;  and  the  fourth  by  the 
President  of  the  Deacons  and  his  two  counselors. 


IO2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

''Each  of  these  apartments  had  curtains  hanging 
from  the  ceiling  over  head  down  to  the  top  of  the  pulpit, 
which  could  be  rolled  up  or  dropped  down  at  pleasure  ; 
and  when  dropped  down  would  completely  exclude  those 
within  the  apartment  from  the  sight  of  all  others.  The 
room  itself  was  finished  with  slips  and  seats  so  calculated 
that  by  slipping  the  seats  a  little  the  congregation  could 
change  their  faces  toward  either  pulpit  they  chose  ;  for 
in  some  cases  the  high  Priesthood  would  administer,  and 
in  other  cases  the  lesser  Priesthood  would  administer. 
The  room  was  also  divided  into  four  compartments  by 
means  of  curtains  or  veils  hanging  from  the  ceiling  over 
head  down  to  the  floor,  which  could  be  rolled  up  at 
pleasure,  so  that  the  house  could  be  used  all  in  one  or 
divided  into  four  rooms  and  used  for  different  purposes. 
Thus  the  house  was  constructed  to  suit  and  accommo- 
date the  different  quorums  of  the  Priesthood  and  worship 
peculiar  to  the  Church.  The  first  story  or  lower  room 
was  dedicated  for  divine  worship  alone.  The  second 
story  was  finished  similar  in  form  to  the  first,  but  was 
designed  wholly  for  instructing  the  Priesthood,  and  was 
supplied  with  tables  and  seats  instead  of  slips.  In  the 
attic,  five  rooms  were  finished  for  the  convenience  of 
schools  and  for  different  quorums  of  the  Church  to  meet 
in.  There  was  no  baptismal  font  in  this  temple,  the 
ordinance  of  baptism  for  the  dead  not  having  been 
revealed. 

"At  the  time  of  dedication  the  first  story  was 
finished,  also  the  attic,  but  the  second  story  was  in  an 
unfinished  condition. 

"At  the  dedication  an  address  was  delivered  by 
Elder  Rigdon,  from  Matthew  8th  chap.,  iSth,  iQth  and 
20th  verses — more  particularly  the  2Oth.  He  spoke  two 
hours  and  a  half.  The  tenor  of  his  discourse  went  to 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  103 

show  the  toils,  sufferings,  privations,  and  hardships  the 
brethren  and  sisters  had  to  endure  while  building  this 
house,  and  compared  it  with  the  sufferings  of  the  Saints 
in  the  days  of  the  Savior.  After  the  address  the  voice 
of  the  assembly  was  taken  in  reference  to  receiving  and 
upholding  the  several  presidents  of  the  different  quorums 
in  their  standing.  The  vote  was  unanimously  in  the 
affirmative  in  every  instance.  A  hymn  was  sung,  and 
then  we  had  an  interesting  address  from  President 

o 

Joseph  Smith,  and  closed  with  a  dedication  prayer  written 
by  the  Prophet. 

"During-  the  ceremonies  of  the  dedication,  an  anorel 

o  o 

appeared  and  sat  near  President  Joseph  Smith,  sen.,  and 
Frederick  G.  Williams,  so  that  they  had  a  fair  view  of 
his  person.  He  was  a  very  tall  personage,  black  eyes, 
white  hair,  and  stoop  shouldered  ;  his  garment  was  whole, 
extending  to  near  his  ankles  ;  on  his  feet  he  had  sandals. 
He  was  sent  as  a  messenger  to  accept  of  the  dedication. 
The  Priesthood  was  organized  according  to  the  proper 
order.  During  the  whole  of  the  dedication  each  quorum 
was  placed  in  its  respective  station.  Everything  was 
conducted  in  the  best  of  order,  and  profound  silence 
maintained." 

The  Temple  having  been  dedicated,  the  Apostles 
and  Elders  received  their  endowments,  according  to  the 
promise  of  the  Lord  in  Missouri.  Says  Heber: 

"We  had  been  commanded  to  prepare  ourselves  for 
a  solemn  assembly.  At  length  the  time  arrived  for  this 
assembly  to  meet ;  previous  to  which  the  Prophet  Joseph 
exhorted  the  Elders  to  solemnize  their  minds,  by  casting 
away  every  evil  from  them,  in  thought,  word  and  deed, 
and  to  let  their  hearts  become  sanctified,  because  they 
need  not  expect  a  blessing  from  God  without  being  duly 
prepared  for  it,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  would  not  dwell  in 


IO4  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

unholy  temples.     This  meeting  took  place  soon  after  the 
house  of  the  Lord  had  been  dedicated.       * 

"When  the  Prophet  Joseph  had  finished  the  endow- 
ments of  the  First  Presidency,  the  Twelve  and  the  Presid- 
ing Bishops,  the  First  Presidency  proceeded  to  lay  hands 
upon  each  one  of  them  to  seal  and  confirm  the  anointing ; 
and  at  the  close  of  each  blessing  the  whole  of  the  quor- 
ums responded  to  it  with  a  loud  shout  of  Hosanna  ! 
Hosanna !  etc. 

"  While  these  things  were  being  attended  to  the 
beloved  disciple  John  was  seen  in  our  midst  by  the 
Prophet  Joseph,  Oliver  Cowdery  and  others.  After  this 
all  the  quorums  arose  in  order,  together  with  the  three 
Presidencies  ;  and  the  Twelve  then  presented  themselves 
separately  and  individually  before  the  First  Presidency, 
with  hands  uplifted  towards  heaven,  and  asked  of  God 
whatever  they  felt  to  desire ;  and  after  each  individual 
petition  the  whole  of  the  quorums  answered  aloud  Amen  ! 
Hosanna!  Hosanna!  Hosanna!  To  God  arid  the 
Lamb,  forever  and  ever,  amen  and  amen  ! 

"The  6th  day  of  April  being  the  day  appointed  for 
fasting  and  prayer,  all  the  Elders,  Priests,  Teachers  and 
Deacons,  numbering  about  four  hundred,  met  together 
in  the  House  of  the  Lord  to  attend  to  further  ordinances  ; 
none  being  permitted  to  enter  but  official  members  who 
had  previously  received  their  washings  and  anointings. 
Water  being  provided,  the  First  Presidency,  after  girding 
themselves  with  towels,  proceeded  to  wash  the  feet  of 
the  Twelve.  After  they  got  through  the  Twelve  girded 
themselves  and  washed  the  feet  of  the  Seventies.  They 
then  took  their  seats,  each  quorum  seating  themselves  in 
their  respective  places  and  continued  in  fasting  and 
prayer,  prophesying  and  exhortation  until  evening.  A 
sufficient  quantity  of  bread  having  been  provided  to  feed 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  1 05 

this  whole  assembly,  it  was  broken  by  the  First  Presidency 
of  the  Church  and  Twelve,  after  which  the  congregation 
knelt  while  a  benediction  was  pronounced  upon  it  by  the 
First  Presidency ;  and  afterwards  the  Twelve  took  it  and 
administered  to  the  congregation.  Then  wine,  also  being 
provided,  was  blessed  by  the  First  Presidency  and  in 
like  manner  served  to  the  congregation  by  the  Twelve. 
This  order  of  things  is  similar  to  that  which  was  attended 
to  by  the  Savior,  amongst  His  disciples,  previous  to  His 
ascension.  The  meeting  continued  on  through  the  night ; 
the  spirit  of  prophecy  was  poured  out  upon  the  assem- 
bly, and  cloven  tongues  of  fire  sat  upon  them ;  for  they 
were  seen  by  many  of  the  congregation.  Also  angels 
administered  to  many,  for  they  were  also  seen  by 
many. 

"This  continued  several  days  and  was  attended  by  a 
marvelous  spirit  of  prophecy.  Every  man's  mouth  was 
full  of  prophesying,  and  for  a  number  of  days  or  weeks 
our  time  was  spent  in  visiting  from  house  to  house, 
administering  bread  and  wine,  and  pronouncing  blessings 
upon  each  other  to  that  degree,  that  from  the  external 
appearances  one  would  have  supposed  that  the  last  days 
had  truly  come,  in  which  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was 
poured  out  upon  all  flesh,  as  far  as  the  Church  was  con- 
cerned, for  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Zion  were  full  of 
prophesying.  In  this  prophesying  great  blessings  were 
pronounced  upon  the  faithful,  and  also  great  cursings 
upon  the  ungodly,  or  upon  those  who  had  smitten  us. 
During  this  time  many  great  and  marvelous  visions  were 
seen,  one  of  which  I  will  mention  which  Joseph  the 
Prophet  had  concerning  the  Twelve.  His  anxiety  was 
and  had  been  very  great  for  their  welfare,  when  the  fol- 
lowing vision  was  manifested  to  him,  as  near  as  I  can 
recollect : 


IO6  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"  He  saw  the  Twelve  going  forth,  and  they  appeared 
to  be  in  a  far  distant  land.  After  some  time  they  unex- 
pectedly met  together,  apparently  in  great  tribulation, 
their  clothes  all  ragged,  and  their  knees  and  feet  sore. 
They  formed  into  a  circle,  and  all  stood  with  their  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  ground.  The  Savior  appeared  and  stood 
in  their  midst  and  wept  over  them,  and  wanted  to  show 
Himself  to  them,  but  they  did  not  discover  Him.  He 
(Joseph)  saw  until  they  had  accomplished  their  work, 
and  arrived  at  the  gate  of  the  celestial  city  ;  there  Father 
Adam  stood  and  opened  the  gate  to  them,  and  as  they 
entered  he  embraced  them  one  by  one  and  kissed  them. 
He  then  led  them  to  the  throne  of  God,  and  then  the 
Savior  embraced  each  one  of  them  and  kissed  them,  and 
crowned  each  one  of  them  in  the  presence  of  God.  He 
saw  that  they  all  had  beautiful  heads  of  hair  and  all 
looked  alike.  The  impression  this  vision  left  on  Brother 
Joseph's  mind  was  of  so  acute  a  nature,  that  he  never 
could  refrain  from  weeping  while  rehearsing  it." 

"I  continued  through  the  winter,"  says  Heber, 
"some  of  the  time  going  to  school,  and  the  residue  lab- 
oring with  my  hands,  until  May,  1836,  when  I  enquired 
of  the  Prophet  Joseph  if  I  should  go  on  a  mission  to 
preach,  or  go  to  school ;  he  replied  I  might  do  either,  for 
the  Lord  would  bless  me  in  the  course  I  should  pursue. 
Accordingly,  on  the  loth  of  May  I  left  Kirtland  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Fairport,  where  I  took  steamboat  and  arrived 
in  Buffalo  the  next  day.  From  that  place  I  passed  on  to 
the  northeast,  preaching  where  doors  were  open,  and 
baptizing  for  the  remission  of  sins  such  as  believed. 

"June  1 3th,  I  arrived  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  Brothers  Luke  Johnson  and 
Orson  Pratt,  who  were  laboring  with  all  their  might  for 
the  cause  of  God  in  that  region. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  IO/ 

"From  that  place  I  went  on  the  steamer  United 
States  to  Ogdensburg,  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  from 
thence  passed  on  about  three  miles  from  the  village,  when 
I  was  stopped  by  a  shower  of  rain,  which  drove  me  into 
the  house  of  Mr.  Chapin  for  shelter,  and  making  known 
my  calling,  the  people  immediately  desired  a  meeting,  and 
called  in  their  neighbors,  when  I  preached  to  them  for 
about  an  hour.  Many  staid  until  midnight,  and  before  I 
was  up  the  next  morning  they  called  upon  me  requesting 
I  should  preach  again  that  day  in  the  school  house,  which 
I  did,  and  at  night  it  was  again  thronged  with  those  who 
were  eager  to  hear.  The  second  morning  they  likewise 
called  on  me,  and  would  not  let  me  go  until  they  knew 
the  truth  of  my  testimony,  for  by  this  time  the  country 
round  was  in  an  uproar  of  excitement.  On  the  fourth 
morning  I  was  called  out  of  bed,  and  baptized  three*  I 
remained  seven  days  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven,  and  baptized  and  confirmed  seven. 
The  promise  was  fulfilled,  for  those  who  believed  spoke 
in  tongues,  and  the  sick  were  healed.  A  woman  named 
Davis  had  been  confined  to  her  bed  for  five  years,  not 
able  to  do  anything  during  that  time,  and  scarcely  able 
to  sit  up,  who  was  given  up  to  die  by  the  doctors.  I  bap- 
tized and  confirmed  her  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  at 
the  same  time  prayed  for  her,  and  rebuked  the  disease, 
and  commanded  it  to  depart  from  her  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  She  began  to  amend  from  that  very 
hour,  and  in  less  than  one  week  she  was  perform- 
ing her  usual  household  duties,  walked  into  the  streets 
and  attended  meetings,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
people.  Sister  Chapin  and  others  were  also  healed  of 
their  infirmities.  Sister  Davis'  husband  was  con- 
sidered a  staunch  Universalist.  He  was  convinced  and 
baptized. 


TO8  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"Thence  I  journeyed  to  Plattsburg,  where  I  staid  all 
night  with  a  Mr.  Mansfield,  who  was  very  friendly  to  me. 
I  then  went  in  a  steamer  to  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  and  visited 
my  friends  in  Sheldon  and  Bakersfield,  traveled  through 
various  parts  of  Vermont,  visited  Wright's  settlement  on 
the  top  of  the  Green  Mountains,  where  some  were 
believing.  I  met  Elder  Solon  Foster  at  Potsdam, 
preaching  there  once,  and  eight  or  nine  bore  testimony 
to  the  truth  of  the  Gospel. 

"After  an  absence  of  about  five  weeks  I  returned 
to  Ogdensburg,  met  the  brethren  whom  I  had  baptized, 
and  they  rejoiced  at  my  return.  When  I  got  to  the 
house  of  Brother  Heman  Chapin,  he  was  grinding  his 
scythe  and  fixing  his  cradle  to  commence  cutting  his 
wheat.  I  proposed  to  him  if  he  would  furnish  me  a  tow 
frock  and  pantaloons  to  put  on,  and  a  rake,  I  would  go 
into  the  field  and  rake  and  bind  all  he  could  cut.  He 
declared  there  was  no  man  living  could  do  it.  Said  I, 
'never  mind,  Brother  Chapin,  its  nearly  as  easy  for  me 
to  do  it  as  to  say  it.'  The  next  morning  after  the  dew 
had  passed  off  we  went  into  the  field,  commencing  at  a 
piece  of  wheat  which  he  said  had  three  acres  in  it.  Said 
I,  'go  ahead,  Brother  Heman,  we'll  cut  down  this  piece 
before  dinner.'  About  the  time  he  took  the  last  clipp  of 
the  three  acres  I  had  it  bound  in  a  bundle  before  he  had 
hardly  a  chance  to  look  round,  and  about  that  time  the 
horn  blew  to  call  us  to  dinner.  We  started  back  to  his 
house ;  he  never  spoke  or  said  one  word  to  me,  appear- 
ing rather  confounded.  The  next  Sabbath  such  a 
congregation  of  hearers  I  had  never  seen  in  the  United 
States ;  for  priests  and  people  had  come  for  twenty-five 
miles  distance,  to  see  and  hear  that  "Mormon"  who  had 
performed  a  thing  that  had  never  before  been  done  in 
that  country,  for  Brother  Chapin  had  proclaimed  this 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  109 

occurrence  unknown    to  me.       I    tarried  several  days  in 
those  regions,  preaching  and  baptizing. 

"August25th,  while  we  were  assembled  for  a  meeting 
our  hearts  were  filled  with  joy  by  the  arrival  of  Joseph 
Smith,  Sen.,  the  patriarch,  and  his  brother  John  Smith, 
who  were  on  a  mission  to  bless  the  churches  in  the 
eastern  states. 

"On  the  27th,  the  church,  numbering  twenty,  that  I 
had  baptized,  came  together  and  received  patriarchal 
blessings  under  the  hands  of  President  Joseph  Smith, 
Sen. 

"Sunday,  28th,  Father  John  Smith  preached  at  10 
a.  m.,  and  four  of  us  bore  testimony  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon  and  the  truth  of  the  work.  In  the  afternoon 
we  administered  the  sacrament,  confirmed  three  and 
blessed  the  little  children  of  the  branch. 

"  Monday,  2oth,  we  ordained  Levi  Chapin  a  Teacher 
and  Alvin  Simons  an  Elder  to  watch  over  the  church. 
I  then  went  to  Black  Lake,  preached  and  baptized  one ; 
then  preached  at  Potsdam  and  baptized  another. 
Returned  to  the  township  of  Oswegatchie,  called  the 
church  together  at  Ogdensburg,  which  numbered  twenty- 
eight,  and  bade  them  farewell.  I  left  the  church  rejoic- 
ing in  the  Lord,  and  many  around  believing  the  testi- 
mony. 

"Thence  I  pursued  my  journey  to  Victor,  Ontario 
County,  where  I  met  Vilate,  my  wife,  who  was  visiting 
her  friends,  and  I  tarried  a  few  days  with  them.  Thence 
we  pursued  our  journey  to  Buffalo.  Here  a  magistrate 
came  forward  and  paid  five  dollars  for  our  passage  to 
Frankfort,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles. 
The  passengers  were  chiefly  Swiss  emigrants.  After 
sitting  and  hearing  them  for  some  time,  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  came  upon  me,  and  I  was  enabled  to  preach  to 


110  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

them  in  their  own  language.  They  seemed  much  pleased 
and  treated  us  kindly.  We  had  a  very  heavy  gale  while 
going  up  the  lake,  so  that  every  passenger  almost  and 
some  of  the  hands  were  very  sick.  Many  were  frightened, 
and  one  woman  died,  she  being  very  feeble  when  she 
came  on  board.  But  we  reached  our  destination  without 
accident,  and  arrived  in  Kirtland,  October  2nd.  I  was 
gone  nearly  five  months,  visited  many  of  my  friends, 
preached  much,  and  baptized  thirty.  This  was  the  first 
mission  I  took  alone.  The  Lord  was  with  me  and  blessed 
me,  and  confirmed  the  word  with  signs  following." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE  WORSHIP  OF  MAMMON — THE  TEMPORAL  ABOVE  THE  SPIR- 
ITUAL  THE  KIRTLAND  BANK FINANCIAL  DISASTERS 

APOSTASY HEBER  SORROWS  OVER  THE    DEGENERACY  OF 

THE  TIMES. 

"  ILL  fares  the  land;  to  hastening  ills  a  prey, 
Where  wealth  accumulates  and  men  decay. ' ' 

DURING  the  absence  of  Apostle  Kimball  in  the  east, 
a  grievous  change  had  come  over  the  Church  in  Kirtland. 
The  greed  of  gain,  the  spirit  of  speculation  was  abroad 
in  the  land.  Mammon  had  reared  his  altars  on  conse- 
crated ground ;  the  money-changer  was  within  the  tem- 
ple. The  love  of  the  things  of  earth  had  usurped,  in 
many  hearts,  the  love  of  the  things  of  heaven,  and  com- 
paratively few  were  free  from  the  soul-destroying  influ- 
ence of  idolatry.  Idolatry?  Yes;  the  bowing  down  to 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  I  I  I 

the  modern  Baal,  the  worship  of  wealth — the  god  of 
gold — the  lust  after  the  ways  and  pleasures  of  the  world. 

The  order  of  Christ's  kingdom  is  the  order  of  crea- 
tion ;  firstly  spiritual,  secondly  temporal.  When  this 
order  is  subverted,  "chaos  is  come  again."  Sorrow  is 
the  inevitable  consequence  of  apostasy  from  the  spiritual 
to  the  temporal.  "To  be  carnally-minded  is  death;  but 
to  be  spiritually-minded  is  life  and  peace."  Does  not 
the  fall  of  man  illustrate  this  principle  ?  Can  he  descend 
from  heaven  to  earth  without  causing  and  enduring  pain? 

The  spiritual  must  sway  the  temporal,  the  earthly 
be  ruled  by  the  heavenly.  How  else  shall  it  be  sancti- 
fied? It  is  the  spirit  in  man  that  moves  the  body,  not 
the  body  the  spirit.  In  the  Church,  Christ's  body,  the 
spiritual  must  reign  supreme  The  temporal  on  the 
heart's  throne  is  ever  the  usurper;  the  spiritual  crowned 
and  sceptred,  ruler  by  right  divine. 

Jacob  is  spiritual ;  Japheth  is  temporal.  The  mission 
of  Israel  and  the  mission  of  the  Gentiles  are  as  the  poles 
antipodal;  God's  ways  and  man's  ways,  as  heaven  and 
earth  apart. 

"We  were  very  much  grieved,"  says  Heber,  "on  our 
arrival  in  Kirtland,  to  see  the  spirit  of  speculation  that 
was  prevailing  in  the  Church.  Trade  and  traffic  seemed 
to  engross  the  time  and  attention  of  the  Saints.  When 
we  left  Kirtland  a  city  lot  was  worth  about  $150;  but  on 
our  return,  to  our  astonishment,  the  same  lot  was  said  to 
be  worth  from  $500.  to  $1000.,  according  to  location; 
and  some  men,  Xvho,  when  I  left,  could  hardly  get  food 
to  eat,  I  found  on  my  return  to  be  men  of  supposed 
great  wealth ;  in  fact  everything  in  the  place  seemed  to 
be  moving  in  great  prosperity,  and  all  seemed  deter- 
mined to  become  rich ;  in  my  feelings  they  were  artificial 
or  imaginary  riches.  This  appearance  of  prosperity  led 


I  I  2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

many  of  the  Saints  to  believe  that  the  time  had  arrived 
for  the  Lord  to  enrich  them  with  the  treasures  of  the 
earth,  and  believing  so,  it  stimulated  them  to  great  exer- 
tions, so  much  so  that  two  of  the  Twelve,  Lyman  E. 
Johnson  and  John  F.  Boynton,  went  to  New  York  and 
purchased  to  the  amount  of  $20,000  worth  of  goods,  and 
entered  into  the  mercantile  business,  borrowing  consider- 
able money  from  Polly  Voce  and  other  Saints  in  Boston 
and  the  regions  round  about,  and  which  they  have  never 
repaid." 

The  Prophet  Joseph  says  of  those  times  :  "  The 
spirit  of  speculation  in  lands  and  property  of  all  kinds, 
which  was  so  prevalent  throughout  the  whole  nation,  was 
taking  deep  root  in  the  Church.  As  the  fruits  of  this 
spirit,  evil  surmising,  fault-finding,  disunion,  dissension 
and  apostasy  followed  in  quick  succession,  and  it  seemed 
as  though  all  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell  were  combin- 
ing their  influence  in  an  especial  manner  to  overthrow 
the  Church  at  once  and  make  a  final  end.  The  enemy 
abroad  and  apostates  in  our  midst  united  in  their 
schemes,  flour  and  provisions  were  turned  towards  other 
markets,  and  many  became  disaffected  towards  me,  as 
though  I  were  the  sole  cause  of  those  very  evils  I  was 
strenuously  striving  against,  and  which  were  actually 
brought  upon  us  by  the  brethren  not  giving  heed  to  my 
counsel." 

During  this  period,  the  Kirtland  Safety  Society  was 
organized,  with  a  view  to  controlling  the  prevailing  sen- 
timent and  directing  it  in  legitimate  channels.  The 
ablest  and  staunchest  men  in  Israel,  including  the  Prophet 
and  most  of  the  Apostles,  were  made  officers  and  mem- 
bers of  the  association. 

Then  came  the  financial  crash  of  1837,  by  which  so 
many  of  the  banking  and  business  houses  of  the  country 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  113 

were  prostrated.  Nearly  all  the  banks,  one  after  another, 
suspended  specie  payment,  I4and  gold  and  silver  rose  in 
value  in  direct  ratio  with  the  depreciation  of  paper, cur- 
rency." The  Kirtland  Bank  shared  a  similar  fate  to 
many  others,  and  went  down  in  the  whirlpool  of  financial 
ruin.  One  of  the  causes  alleged  for  its  failure  was  the 
misfeasance  of  some  of  those  who  were  entrusted  with 
the  funds  of  the  Bank.  Heber  says  that  Warren  Parrish, 
one  of  the  clerks,  "afterwards  acknowledged  that  he 
took  $20,000,  and  there  was  strong  evidence  that  he 
took  more.  Those  of  integrity  in  the  Church  replaced 
the  stolen  money  at  the  expense  of  all  they  had."  A 
counterfeit,  falsely  reputed  to  have  been  issued  by  the 
Bank,  was  also  used  by  its  enemies  as  a  means  to  effect 
its  overthrow. 

As  usual  the  onus  of  responsibility  was  placed  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  Prophet,  although  he  had  with- 
drawn from  the  institution  some  time  before.  He  was 
falsely  accused  of  dishonesty  and  fraud,  and  condemned 
beyond  measure,  by  men  in  and  out  of  the  Church,  as 
though  he  were  the  sole  and  intentional  cause  of  the 
catastrophe. 

"This  order  of  things,"  continues  Heber,  "increased 
during  the  winter  to  such  an  extent  that  a  man's  life  was 
in  danger  the  moment  he  spoke  in  defence  of  the  Prophet 
of  God.  During  this  time  I  had  many  days  of  sorrow 
and  mourning,  for  my  heart  sickened  to  see  the  awful 
extent  that  things  were  getting  to.  The  only  source  of 
consolation  I  had,  was  in  bending  my  knees  continually 
before  my  Father  in  Heaven,  and  asking  Him  to  sustain 
me  and  preserve  me  from  falling  into  snares,  and  from 
betraying  my  brethren  as  others  had  done ;  for  those  who 
apostatized  sought  every  means  and  opportunity  to  draw 
others  after  them.  They  also  entered  into  combi- 


I  1 4  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

nations  to  obtain  wealth  by  fraud  and  every  means  that 
was  evil. 

"At  this  time,  I  had  many  dreams  from  the  Lord; 
one  of  them  I  will  relate.  I  dreamed  that  I  entered  the 
house  of  John  F.  Boynton,  in  which  there  was  a  panther; 
he  was  jet  black  and  very  beautiful  to  look  upon,  but  he 
inspired  me  with  fear ;  when  I  rose  to  leave  the  house  he 
stood  at  the  door  with  the  intention  to  seize  on  me,  and 
seeing  my  fear,  he  displayed  his  beauty  to  me,  telling  me 
how  sleek  his  coat  was,  and  what  beautiful  ears  he  had, 
and  also  his  claws,  which  appeared  to  be  of  silver,  and 
then  he  showed  me  his  teeth,  which  also  appeared  to  be 
silver.  John  F.  Boynton  told  me  that  if  I  made  myself 
familiar  with  him  he  would  not  hurt  me,  but  if  I  did  not 
he  would.  I  did  not  feel  disposed  to  do  so,  and  while 
the  panther  was  displaying  to  me  his  beauty,  I  slipped 
through  the  door  and  escaped,  although  he  tried  to  keep 
me  back  by  laying  hold  of  my  coat ;  but  I  rent  myself 
from  him.  The  interpretation  of  this  dream  was  literally 
fulfilled.  The  panther  represented  an  apostate  whom  I 
had  been  very  familiar  with.  I  felt  to  thank  the  Lord 
for  this  dream,  and  other  intimations  that  I  had,  which, 
by  His  assistance,  kept  me  from  falling  into  snares." 

The  hour  was  approaching  when  Heber  C.  Kimball 
was  destined  to  make  his  great  mark  as  an  Apostle  ot 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  perform  a  work  that  would  per- 
petuate his  memory,  and  make  his  name  "a  household 
word"  upon  the  lips  of  tens  of  thousands  in  both  hemi- 
spheres. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

ZION'S  SHIP  AMONG  THE  BREAKERS ' 'SOMETHING  NEW  MUST 

BE  DONE  TO    SAVE    THE    CHURCH" HEBER    C.    KIMBALL 

APPOINTED  TO    OPEN    THE    BRITISH    MISSION SPIRITUAL 

THINGS  TO  THE  FRONT RIGHTING    THE  SHIP HEBER's 

PROPHECY  TO  WILLARD  RICHARDS ''YEA,   IN  THE  NAME 

OF  THE  LORD,  THOU  SHALT  GO  WITH  ME"-— THE  DEPART- 
URE FOR  ENGLAND. 

AT  this  crisis  in  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  the  Lord 
revealed  to  Joseph  that  "something  new"  must  be  done 
for  its  salvation.  The  good  ship  Zion,  storm-tossed  and 
tempest-driven,  her  sails  rent,  her  timbers  sprung,  a  por- 
tion of  her  officers  and  crew  in  open  mutiny,  was  drifting 
with  fearful  rapidity  toward  the  rocks  and  breakers  of 
destruction. 

Joseph  was  denounced  as  a  "fallen  prophet"  by  men 
who  had  been  his  immediate  friends  and  confidential 
advisers,  and  the  divinity  of  his  mission  was  being  doubted 
by  many  who  had  received  through  him  a  testimony  of 
the  truth,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  knowledge  of 
God  and  Christ,  whom  to  know  is  life  eternal. 

"No  quorum  in  the  Church,"  says  he,  "was  entirely 
exempt  from  the  influence  of  those  false  spirits  who  were 
striving  against  me  for  the  mastery.  Even  some  of  the 
Twelve  were  so  far  lost  to  their  high  and  responsible 
calling,  as  to  begin  to  take  sides,  secretly,  with  the 
enemy." 

What  "new  thing,"  under  these  circumstances,  was 
destined  to  "save  the  Church?"  In  what  way  was  Jos- 


Il6  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

eph's  mission,  as  a  prophet  of  the  living  God,  to  be 
revindicated  in  the  eyes  of  the  Saints  and  of  the  world  ? 

"On  Sunday,  the  4th  day  of  June,  1837,"  says  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  "the  Prophet  Joseph  came  tome,  while  I  was 
seated  in  front  of  the  stand,  above  the  sacrament  table, 
on  the  Melchisedek  side  of  the  Temple,  in  Kirtland,  and 
whispering  to  me,  said,  'Brother  Heber,  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  has  whispered  to  me:  'Let  my  servant  Heber  go 
to  England  and  proclaim  my  Gospel,  and  open  the  door 
of  salvation  to  that  nation.'  ' 

The  thought  was  overpowering.  He  had  been  sur- 
prised at  his  call  to  the  apostleship  :  now  he  was  over- 
whelmed. Like  Jeremiah  he  staggered  under  the  weight 
of  his  own  weakness,  exclaiming  in  self-humiliation : 
"O,  Lord,  I  am  a  man  of  stammering  tongue,  and  alto- 
gether unfit  for  such  a  work ;  how  can  I  go  to  preach  in 
that  land,  which  is  so  famed  throughout  Christendom 
for  learning,  knowledge  and  piety ;  the  nursery  of  reli- 
gion ;  and  to  a  people  whose  intelligence  is  prover- 
bial!" 

"Feeling  my  weakness  to  go  upon  such  an  errand, 
I  asked  the  Prophet  if  Brother  Brigham  might  go  with 
me.  He  replied  that  he  wanted  Brother  Brigham  to  stay 
with  him,  for  he  had  something  else  for  him  to  do.  The 
idea  of  such  a  mission  was  almost  more  than  I  could 
bear  up  under.  I  was  almost  ready  to  sink  under  the 
burden  which  was  placed  upon  me. 

"However,  all  these  considerations  did  not  deter 
me  from  the  path  of  duty ;  the  moment  I  understood  the 
will  of  my  heavenly  Father,  I  felt  a  determination  to  go 
at  all  hazards,  believing  that  He  would  support  me  by 
His  almighty  power,  and  endow  me  with  every  qualifica- 
tion that  I  needed ;  and  although  my  family  was  dear  to 
me,  and  I  should  have  to  leave  them  almost  destitute,  I 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  I  1 7 

felt  that  the  cause  of  truth,  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  out- 
weighed every  other  consideration. 

"At  this  time  many  faltered  in  their  faith;  even 
some  of  the  Twelve  were  in  rebellion  against  the 
Prophet  of  God.  John  F.  Boynton  said  to  me,  'If  you 
are  such  a  fool  as  to  go  at  the  call  of  the  fallen  prophet, 
Joseph  Smith,  I  will  not  help  you  a  dime,  and  if  you  are 
cast  on  Van  Dieman's  land,  I  will  not  make  an  effort  to 
help  you.'  Lyman  E.  Johnson  said  he  did  not  want  me 
to  go  on  my  mission,  but  if  I  was  determined  to  go,  he 
would  help  me  all  he  could ;  he  took  his  cloak  from  off 
his  back  and  put  it  on  mine ;  which  was  the  first  cloak  I 
ever  had. 

"Brothers  Sidney  Rigclon,  Joseph  Smith,  Sen., 
Brigham  Young,  Newel  K.  Whitney  and  others  said, 
'Go  and  do  as  the  Prophet  has  told  you,  and  you  shall 
prosper  and  be  blessed  with  power  to  do  a  glorious 
work.'  Hyrum,  seeing  the  condition  of  the  Church, 
when  he  talked  about  my  mission,  wept  like  a  little  child  ; 
he  was  continually  blessing  and  encouraging  me,  and 
pouring  out  his  soul  in  prophecies  upon  my  head;  he 
said:  'Go,  and  you  shall  prosper  as  not  many  have 
prospered.'  ' 

Elder  Orson  Hyde,  who  had  had  some  disagreement 
with  the  authorities  and  was  thought  to  be  disaffected, 
gave  a  noble  proof  of  his  integrity  by  asking  forgiveness 
of  the  brethren,  and  requesting  the  privilege  of  accom- 
panying Apostle  Kimball  on  his  mission  to  England. 
He  was  accordingly  set  apart,  with  Elder  Kimball  and 
Priest  Joseph  Fielding,  for  that  purpose. 

Says  Heber:  "The  Presidency  laid  their  hands  on 
me  and  set  me  apart  to  preside  over  the  mission,  and 
conferred  great  blessings  upon  my  head ;  said  that  God 
would  make  me  mighty  in  that  nation  in  winning  souls 


Il8  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

unto  Him ;  angels  should  accompany  me  and  bear  me 
up,  that  my  feet  should  never  slip ;  that  I  should  be 
mightily  blessed  and  prove  a  source  of  salvation  to  thou- 
sands, not  only  in  England  but  America. 

"After  being  called  on  this  mission,  I  daily  went  into 
the  east  room  in  the  attic  story  of  the  temple  and  poured 
out  my  soul  unto  the  Lord,  asking  His  protection  and 
power  to  fulfill  honorably  the  mission  appointed  me  by 
His  servants.  A  short  time  previous  to  starting,  I  was 
laid  prostrate  on  my  bed  with  a  stitch  in  my  back,  which 
suddenly  seized  me  while  chopping  and  drawing  wood 
for  my  family.  I  could  not  stir  a  limb  without  crying  out 
from  the  severeness  of  the  pain.  Joseph,  hearing  of  it, 
came  to  see  me,  bringing  Oliver  Cowdery  and  Bishop 
Partridge  with  him ;  they  prayed  for  and  blessed  me, 
Joseph  being  mouth,  beseeching  God  to  raise  me  up ;  he 
then  took  me  by  the  right  hand  and  said,  '  Brother  Heber, 
I  take  you  by  your  right  hand  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Nazareth,  and  by  virtue  of  the  Holy  Priest- 
hood vested  in  me  I  command  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  arise,  and  be  thou  made  whole.'  I  arose  from 
my  bed,  put  on  my  clothes,  and  started  with  them  and 
went  up  to  the  temple,  and  felt  no  more  of  the  pain 
afterwards." 

Though  amazed  and  overwhelmed  at  his  call  to  this 
duty,  the  voice  of  the  Spirit  in  his  own  heart  had  long 
since  told  him  that  he  would  some  day  be  required  to  per- 
form just  such  a  work.  As  with  all  men  of  destiny,  the 
mountain  of  his  mission  loomed  before  him  dimly  in  the 
distance,  casting  its  shadow  athwart  his  soul,  and  there 
were  times  when,  worn  and  wearied  with  life's  common 
cares,  he  sought  within  that  shade  shelter  and  repose 
from  the  noontide's  heat  and  toil.  Thus  doth  the  ideal 
subserve  the  real,  of  which,  what  is  it  but  the  prophecy  ? 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  I  19 

Some  months  prior  to  his  appointment,  in  a  conver- 
sation with  Willard  Richards  in  the  streets  of  Kirtland, 
soon  after  the  latter  was  baptized,  Heber,  filled  with 
the  spirit  of  prophecy,  had  predicted  for  himself  a  mis- 
sion to  the  shores  of  Europe. 

"Shall  I  go  with  thee?"  enquired  Willard. 

"Yea,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  thou  shalt  go  with 
me  when  I  go,"  Heber  replied. 

But  Willard  was  now  in  the  eastern  states,  on  a  spe- 
cial business  mission,  and  the  day  of  Heber's  departure 
was  drawing  near.  Just  one  day  before  he  left  for  Eng- 
land, Elder  Richards  returned,  and  was  reminded  by  the 
Apostle  of  the  prediction  he  had  uttered  five  months 
before.  Willard,  being  involved  in  business,  and  not 
having  received  a  formal  call,  did  not  see  how  he  could 
go.  But,  on  consulting  with  the  First  Presidency,  and 
obtaining  their  consent,  and  his  partner  in  business, 
Brigham  Young,  agreeing  to  take  charge  of  their  affairs 
in  his  absence,  he  was  enabled  to  fulfill  his  covenant  with 
Heber,  and  was  set  apart  the  same  evening  to  accom- 
pany the  mission  to  England. 

Heber  received  the  following  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion from  the  First  Presidency; 

"At  a  conference  of  the  Elders  of  the  Church  of 
Latter-day  Saints,  held  in  Kirtland,  Geauga  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  fourth  day  of  June,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-seven,  Elder  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  the  bearer  of  this,  was  unanimously  appointed, 
set  apart  and  ordained  to  go  at  the  head  of  this  mission 
to  England,  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to 
the  people  of  that  nation,  as  it  is  believed  and  practiced 
by  us.  From  the  long  acquaintance  which  we  have  had 
with  this  our  worthy  brother,  his  integrity  and  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  truth,  we  do  most  cheerfully  and  confidently 
recommend  him  to  all  candid  and  upright  people  as  a 


I2O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

servant  of  God  and  faithful  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 
We  do  furthermore  beseech  all  people  who  have  an 
opportunity  of  hearing  this  our  brother  declare  the  doc- 
trine believed  by  us,  to  listen  with  attention  to  the  words 
of  his  mouth. 

"  JOSEPH  SMITH, 
"  SIDNEY  RIGDON, 
"HYRUM  SMITH. 

"Presiding  Elders  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 
Latter-day  Saints. 

The  day  of  departure  came;  Tuesday,  June  I3th, 
1837.  The  solemn  scene  of  Heber's  parting  with  his 
family  cannot  be  more  tenderly  or  graphically  told  than 
in  the  words  of  Elder  Robert  B.  Thompson,  who  thus 
describes  it: 

"The  day  appointed  for  the  departure  of  the  Elders 
to  England  having  arrived,  I  stepped  into  the  house  of 
Brother  Kimball  to  ascertain  when  he  would  start,  as  I 
expected  to  accompany  him  two  or  three  hundred  miles, 
intending  to  spend  my  labors  in  Canada  that  season. 

"The  door  being  partly  open,  I  entered  and  felt 
struck  with  the  sight  which  presented  itself  to  my  view. 
I  would  have  retired,  thinking  that  I  was  intruding,  but  I 
felt  riveted  to  the  spot.  The  father  was  pouring  out  his 
soul  to  that 

'  God  who  rules  on  high, 

Who  all  the  earth  surveys : 
That  rides  upon  the  stormy  sky, 

And  calms  the  roaring  seas,' 

that  he  would  grant  him  a  prosperous  voyage  across  the 
mighty  ocean,  and  make  him  useful  wherever  his  lot 
should  be  cast,  and  that  He  who  'careth  for  sparrows, 
and  feedeth  the  young  ravens  when  they  cry'  would  sup- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  121 

ply  the  wants  of  his  wife  and  little  ones  in  his  absence. 
He  then,  like  the  patriarchs,  and  by  virtue  of  his  office, 
laid  his  hands  upon  their  heads  individually,  leaving  a 
father's  blessing  upon  them,  and  commending  them  to 
the  care  and  protection  of  God,  while  he  should  be 
engaged  preaching  the  Gospel  in  a  foreign  land.  While 
thus  engaged  his  voice  was  almost  lost  in  the  sobs  of 
those  around,  who  tried  in  vain  to  suppress  them.  The 
idea  of  being  separated  from  their  protector  and  father 
for  so  long  a  time  was  indeed  painful.  He  proceeded, 
but  his  heart  was  too  much  affected  to  do  so  regularly. 
His  emotions  were  great,  and  he  was  obliged  to  stop  at 
intervals,  while  the  big  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  an 
index  to  the  feelings  which  reigned  in  his  bosom.  My 
heart  was  not  stout  enough  to  refrain  ;  in  spite  of  myself 
I  wept,  and  mingled  my  tears  with  theirs.  At  the  same 
time  I  felt  thankful  that  I  had  the  privilege  of  contemplat- 
ing such  a  scene.  I  realized  that  nothing  could  induce 
that  man  to  tear  himself  from  so  affectionate  a  family 
group,  from  his  partner  and  children  who  were  so  dear 
to  him, — nothing  but  a  sense  of  duty  and  love  to  God 
and  attachment  to  His  cause." 

In  order  to  realize  the  situation  so  touchingly 
described,  it  must  be  remembered  that  in  those  early 
days,  ere  the  age  of  steamships  and  railways  had  fairly 
arrived,  a  mission  to  Europe,  comparatively  easy  now, 
seemed  almost  like  a  voyage  to  another  world. 

Heber  continues  : 

"At  9  a.  m.,  I  bade  adieu  to  my  family  and  friends, 
and  in  company  with  Elders  Orson  Hyde,  Willard 
Richards,  and  Priest  Joseph  Fielding,  started  without 
purse  or  scrip  on  my  mission,  this  being  the  first  foreign 
mission  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  the  last  days.  We 
arrived  at  Fairport  on  Lake  Erie  that  afternoon,  and 


122  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

about  an  hour  after  took  passage  on  a  steamboat  for 
Buffalo. 

"We  were  accompanied  by  Brothers  Brigham 
Young,  John  P.  Greene,  Levi  Richards,  and  Sisters 
Vilate  Kimball,  Rhoda  Green,  Mary  Fielding,  and  others, 
to  Fairport.  Sister  Mary  Fielding  gave  me  five  dollars, 
with  which  I  paid  my  passage  and  Brother  Hyde's  to 
Buffalo  ;  we  were  also  accompanied  to  Buffalo  by  R.  B. 
Thompson  and  wife,  who  were  on  their  way  to  Canada, 
where  he  intended  to  labor  in  the  ministry.  After  a 
pleasant  voyage  we  reached  Buffalo  the  next  day,  where 
we  expected  to  receive  some  funds  from  Canada  to  assist 
us  on  our  journey,  but  were  disappointed,  as  Brothers 
Goodson,  Russell  and  Snyder  did  not  meet  us  there 
according  to  promise. 

"  From  Buffalo  we  went  down  by  the  canal  towards 
Lyonstown.  While  walking  on  its  bank  I  found  an  iron 
ring  about  one  and  one-fourth  inches  in  diameter,  which 
I  presented  to  Elder  Richards,  saying,  'I  will  make  you 
a  present  of  this  ;  keep  it  in  remembrance  of  me  ;  for  our 
friendship  shall  be  as  endless  as  this  ring.'  We  had  but 
very  little  means,  but  determined  to  prosecute  our 
journey,  believing  that  the  Lord  would  open  our  way.. 
We  accordingly  took  passage  in  a  line  boat  on  the  Erie 
Canal  to  Utica,  a  distance  of  250  miles  ;  from  thence  on 
the  railroad  to  Albany,  where  our  party  divided. 

"From  Albany  I  went  with  Brother  Richards  about 
30  miles,  to  his  father's,  in  Richmond,  Berkshire  County, 
Massachusetts,  where  we  arrived  on  the  2Oth,  and 
obtained  forty  dollars  from  his  brother  William  which  he 
was  owing  to  him.  This  enabled  us  to  prosecute  our 
journey.  We  bade  them  a  last  farewell,  as  Willard's 
father  and  mother  and  sister  died  a  short  time  after- 
wards. The  next  day  we  returned  to  Albany  and  took 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  123 

passage  in  a  steamboat  to  New  York,  where  we  arrived 
on  the  evening  of  June  22nd,  and  again  met  Orson  Hyde 
and  Joseph  Fielding.  We  also  met  with  Brothers  John 
Goodson,  Isaac  Russell  and  John  Snyder,  who  had  come 
by  the  way  of  Canada  to  join  the  mission. 

"We  found  a  vessel  ready  to  sail,  but  not  having 
sufficient  means,  we  were  obliged  to  wait  until  we  could 
obtain  funds  to  pay  our  passage,  and  procure  an  outfit 
for  the  voyage.  We  found  Elder  Elijah  Fordham,  the 
only  member  of  the  Church  in  that  city,  who  having  no 
house  of  his  own,  we  lodged  at  Mrs.  Fordham's,  Elijah's 
sister-in-law.  Being  short  of  funds,  we  hired  a  small 
room  in  an  unfinished  store-house  of  Brother  Fordham's 
father,  who  was  very  wealthy,  as  he  owned  many  store- 
houses and  buildings,  but  never  invited  us  into  his  house 
to  sleep  or  eat,  though  he  did  invite  us  to  assist  him  two 
days  in  raising  a  building,  as  a  compensation  for  lying 
on  his  store-house  floor. 

"  Brother  Fordham  seemed  to  be  mute  in  relation 
to  Mormonism.  I  told  him  if  he  was  faithful  and 
remained  in  New  York,  there  would  be  a  branch  of  the 
Church  raised  up  before  we  returned. 

"Sunday,  25th,  we  fasted,  prayed,  administered  the 
sacrament,  held  council  for  the  success  of  the  mission, 
and  had  a  joyful  time.  In  the  afternoon  two  sectarian 
priests  came  in,  to  find  fault,  but  they  were  soon  con- 
founded, and  left. 

"On  the  28th  we  deposited  180  of  Orson  Hyde's 
"Timely  Warnings,"  in  the  New  York  post  office, 
addressed  to  the  priests  and  ministers  of  different 
denominations  in  the  city.  We  also  distributed  many 
to  the  citizens,  and  at  the  same  time  conversed  with  them 
on  the  subject  of  the  Gospel.  Our  sojourn  in  the  city 
opened  the  door  for  Brothers  Parley  and  Orson  Pratt  to 


124  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

introduce  the  Gospel  there.  Many  persons  who  subse- 
quently came  into  the  Church  have  referred  to  the 
"Timely  Warnings"  which  they  had  read.  We  spent 
considerable  time  in  prayer  to  our  Heavenly  Father  for 
His  guidance  and  protection  ;  to  make  our  way  plain 
before  us  ;  to  bless  us  with  a  prosperous  voyage  across 
the  mighty  ocean  ;  make  us  a  blessing  to  each  other,  and 
the  captain  and  crew  with  whom  we  should  sail. 

"  In  New  York  we  were  subject  to  many  inconveni- 
ences ;  had  to  lay  amid  straw  and  blankets  upon  the 
ground  ;  to  buy  our  victuals  ;  yet  we  did  not  feel  dis- 
couraged ;  believing  that  the  Lord  would  open  up  our 
way  and  guide  us  to  our  destination. 

"Brother  Fordham  made  me  a  present  of  ten 
dollars,  and  concluded  to  accompany  us  on  our  mission, 
but  upon  mature  consideration,  we  thought  it  best  for 
him  to  stay  there  ;  believing  that  the  Lord  had  a  people 
in  that  city,  and  that  there  would  be  a  church  built  up 
there  before  our  return. 

"Having  obtained  sufficient  money  to  pay  our  pas- 
sage across  the  Atlantic,  eighteen  dollars  each,  we  laid 
in  a  stock  of  provisions,  and  went  on  board  the  new 
packet  ship  Garrick,  of  900  tons,  bound  for  Liverpool." 


CHAPTER    XV. 

FAREWELL    TO    NATIVE    LAND "UPON    THE    WIDE,    WIDE 

SEA" — HEBER'S  DREAM    OF   JOSEPH — A    SHIP    OUT    OF 

HER  RECKONING A  DYING  CHILD    HEALED APOSTLE 

HYDE  PREACHES  ON    BOARD ARRIVAL   AT    LIVERPOOL 

THE  ELDERS  LEAP  ASHORE. 

"ADIEU,  adieu,  my  native  shore 

Fades  o'er  the  waters  blue ; 
The  night-winds  sigh,  the  breakers  roar, 

And  shrieks  the  wild  sea-mew. 
Yon  sun  that  sets  upon  the  sea 

We  follow  in  his  flight; 
Farewell,  awhile,  to  him  and  thee, 

My  native  land — Good  night  !" 

AT  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  July  ist,  1837, 
the  Garrick  weighed  anchor,  and,  being  towed  down  the 
river  by  a  steamer  as  far  as  Sandy  Hook,  set  sail  ocean- 
ward.  A  few  hours  later  Heber  lost  sight  of  his  native 
land.  Say  he : 

"I  had  feelings  which  I  cannot  describe,  when  I  could 
no  longer  behold  its  shores,  and  when  I  bade  adieu  to 
the  land  of  my  birth,  I  felt  to  exclaim : 

'Yes,  my  native  land,  I  love  thee : 
All  thy  scenes  I  love  them  well : 
Friends,  connections,  happy  country, 
Can  I  bid  you  all  farewell  ? 

Can  I  leave  you, 
Far  in  distant  lands  to  dwell  ? ' 

"  However,  when  I  reflected  on  the  causes  which  had 
induced  me  to  leave  it  for  awhile,  and  the  work  which 
depended  upon  me,  I  could  likewise  say: 


126  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"I  go,  but  not  to  plough  the  main, 
To  ease  a  restless  mind." 

"I  was  actuated  by  a  different  motive  than  either  to 
please  myself,  or  gain .  the  riches  and  applause  of  the 
world ;  it  was  a  higher  consideration  than  these  that 
induced  me  to  leave  my  home.  It  was  because  a  dispen- 
sation of  the  Gospel  had  been  committed  to  me ;  and  I 
felt  an  ardent  desire  that  my  fellow  creatures  in  other 
lands  might  hear  the  sound  of  the  everlasting  Gospel, 
obey  its  requisitions,  rejoice  in  the  fullness  and  blessings 
thereof,  and  escape  the  judgments  which  will  come  upon 
the  ungodly." 

Only  souls  where  sentiment  and  feeling  dwell,  who 
have  been  upon  the  mighty  waters,  floating  like  an  insect 
on  a  leaf  amid  the  immensity  of  the  liquid  waste,  can 
realize  that  awful  loneliness,  that  sense  of  helplessness 
and  utter  dependency  upon  a  power  superior  to  man's. 
Atheism,  thy  home  is  not  the  boundless  deep!  Ocean, 
thou  art  religious,  thou  art  worshipful,  and  throwest 
heavenward  the  thoughts  of  man  as  though  they  were 
thy  spray! 

Especially  was  it  so  with  Heber  and  his  compan- 
ions, God-fearing  men,  upon  whom  rested  the  burden  of 
a  mission  fraught  with  salvation  to  thousands.  The 
solemnities  of  eternity  encompassed  them.  They  felt 
as  little  children  in  the  presence  of  the  Infinite.  And 
children  they  were  in  their  humility.  Not  in  their  own 
strength  went  they  forth,  but  in  the  strength  of  Him  who 
made  the  seas,  and  who  holdeth  their  waters  in  the  hol- 
low of  His  hand. 

''Angels  shall  accompany  thee  and  bear  thee  up!" 

Were  they  not  even  now  upon  the  vessel,  in  mid- 
ocean,  guiding  it  unerringly  toward  its  destiny?  Aye, 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  127 

lest  at  any  time  that  fated  bark  should  ''dash  its  foot 
against  a  stone." 

''While  crossing  the  sea,"  says  Heber,  14I  dreamed 
that  the  Prophet  Joseph  came  to  me  while  I  was  standing 
upon  the  forecastle  of  the  ship,  and  said,  '  Brother 
Heber,  here  is  a  rod  (putting  it  into  my  hands),  with 
which  you  are  to  guide  the  ship.  While  you  hold  this 
rod  you  shall  prosper,  and  there  shall  be  no  obstacles 
thrown  before  you  but  what  you  shall  have  power  to 
overcome,  and  the  hand  of  God  shall  be  with  you/ 
After  this  I  discovered  every  kind  of  obstruction  was 
placed  before  the  ship  to  stop  its  progress ;  but  the  bow 
being  sharp,  the  obstacles  were  compelled  to  move  out 
on  either  side ;  and  when  the  ship  would  come  to  a 
mountain,  it  would  plow  its  course  straight  through,  as 
though  it  was  in  water.  This  rod  which  Joseph  gave 
me  was  about  three  and  a  half  feet  in  length.  His 
appearance  was  just  as  natural  as  I  ever  beheld  him  in 
the  flesh.  He  blessed  me  and  disappeared." 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  during  fifty  years,  the  period 
covered  by  the  history  of  Mormon  emigration  from  the 
nations  abroad,  not  a  ship-load  of  Latter-day  Saints,  not 
a  vessel  bearing  the  Elders  of  Israel  to  or  from  foreign 
shores,  has  ever  been  lost  at  sea.  Even  rough  captains 
and  sailors  have  learned  to  regard  this  with  feelings  akin 
to  reverential  awe,  and  to  accept  as  a  good  omen,  an 
assurance  of  a  safe  and  prosperous  voyage,  the  presence 
of  Mormon  Elders  or  emigrants  among  their  ship's 
passengers. 

In  such  a  light,  Heber's  dream  of  Joseph  and  the 
rod  wherewith  he  was  to  "guide  the  ship,"  takes  on  added 
interest  and  significance. 

Remarkable,  too,  that  this  same  ship,  the  Garrick, 
now  on  its  first  voyage,  after  twice  ploughing  the  Atlan- 


128  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

tic  with  Apostles  Kimball  and  Hyde  on  board — for  on 
this  vessel  they  returned  to  America — was  doomed,  on 
almost  its  very  next  voyage,  to  go  down  at  sea,  in  the 
year  1841. 

Heber  continues  his  narrative: 

"During  the  voyage  we  were  hailed  by  a  large  ves- 
sel throwing  up  a  signal  of  distress.  Our  captain  hauled 
to,  and  with  his  speaking  trumpet  enquired  what  was 
wanted.  The  answer  was,  'we  are  bound  for  Quebec, 
but  are  lost,  having  lost  our  reckoning.'  Our  captain 
took  an  observation,  and  through  his  speaking  trumpet 
gave  them,  the  latitude  and  longitude,  and  the  course  for 
them  to  steer,  showing  them  that  they  were  about  a  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  American  shore.  They  replied  that 
they  thought  they  were  close  to  the  shore  and  were  afraid 
of  running  on  the  reefs  for  several  days  past.  This 
reminded  me  that  when  a  person  has  lost  his  course,  or 
is  out  of  the  way,  it  is  necessary  to  apply  to  the  Lord, 
through  a  Prophet,  Seer  and  Revelator,  to  put  him  right. 

"Our  passage  was  very  agreeable,  the  winds  for  the 
most  part  being  favorable.  On  the  banks  of  Newfound- 
land we  saw  several  large  fish,  called  by  some,  whales, 
and  by  others,  finners  ;  also  many  porpoises  and  different 
species  of  fish.  We  were  kindly  treated  by  the  officers 
and  crew  ;  their  conduct  was  indeed  praiseworthy.  Had 
we  been  their  own  relatives,  they  could  not  have  behaved 
more  kindly,  or  treated  us  better.  Thus  the  Lord 
answered  our  prayers,  for  which  I  desire  to  praise  His 
holy  name. 

"The  Lord  also  gave  us  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the 
passengers,  who  treated  us  with  the  greatest  respect. 
During  the  voyage,  a  child  belonging  to  one  of  the  pas- 
sengers was  very  sick,  and  given  up  by  the  doctor  to 
die ;  consequently  its  parents  had  given  up  all  hopes  of 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  I  29 

its  recovery,  and  expected  to  have  to  commit  their  little 
one  to  the  ocean.  Feeling  a  great  anxiety  for  the  child, 
I  went  to  its  parents  and  reasoned  with  them,  and  laid 
before  them  the  principle  of  faith,  and  told  them  that  the 
Lord  was  able  to  restore  their  child,  notwithstanding 
there  was  no  earthly  prospect  of  its  recovery.  To  which 
they  listened  with  great  interest.  Shortly  after,  having 
an  opportunity  to  secretly  "lay  hands  upon  the  child,  I  did 
so,  and  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  rebuked  the  disease 
which  preyed  upon  its  system.  The  spirit  of  the  Lord 
attended  the  administration,  and  from  that  time  the  child 
began  to  recover,  and  in  two  or  three  days  after  it  was 
running  about,  perfectly  well.  Afterwards  I  informed 
the  parents  that  I  had  laid  hands  on  their  child,  and  they 
acknowledged  that  it  was  healed  by  the  power  of  the 
Almighty. 

"Our  health,  while  on  the  water,  was  good,  with  the 
exception  of  Brothers  Richards  and  Fielding,  who  were 
sick  a  day  or  two. 

"Sunday,  July  i6th,  I  went  to  the  captain  and  asked 
the  privilege  for  one  of  us  to  preach  on  board.  He  very 
obligingly  agreed,  and  appointed  i  o'clock,  p.  m.,  when 
it  would  be  most  suitable  for  himself  and  the  crew  to 
attend.  I  requested  Elder  Hyde  to  speak,  and  notified 
the  captain,  crew  and  passengers  of  the  intended  meet- 
ing for  preaching  on  the  aft  quarter  deck.  At  the  time 
appointed  there  was  a  congregation  of  between  two  and 
three  hundred  persons  assembled,  who  listened,  with 
great  attention  and  deep  interest,  to  the  discourse.  I 
think  I  never  heard  Brother  Hyde  speak  with  such  power 
and  eloquence.  He  spoke  on  the  subject  of  the  resur- 
rection, which  was  necessarily  condensed,  the  time  being 
limited  on  account  of  the  duties  of  the  crew.  The  con- 
gregation was  composed  of  persons  of  different  faiths, 


130  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

and  from  different  nations,  English,  Irish,  Scotch,  French 
Germans,  etc., — both  Jews  and  Christians.  A  great  feel- 
ing was  produced  upon  the  minds  of  the  assembly,  who 
had  never  heard  the  subject  treated  in  like  manner  before  ; 
and  from  the  conversation  we  had  afterwards  with  sev- 
eral of  them,  I  believe  that  good  was  done.  The  congre- 
gation appointed  a  committee  who  came  to  us  and 
returned  thanks  for  the  favor  conferred  on  them. 

"On  the  1 8th,  the  captain  sent  a  man  up  to  the 
masthead  to  look  for  land.  He  had  not  been  up  long 
before  he  cried  out,  "land,"  which  was  the  Irish  shore. 
It  caused  joy  and  gratitude  to  arise  in  my  bosom  to  my 
heavenly  Father  for  the  favorable  passage  so  far,  and  the 
prospect  of  soon  reaching  our  destination.  We  sailed  up 
the  Irish  Channel,  having  Ireland  on  our  left  and  Wales 
on  our  right.  The  scenery  was  very  beautiful  and 
imposing. 

"At  daybreak,  on  July  2Oth,  we  arrived  in  the  river 
Mersey,  opposite  Liverpool,  being  eighteen  days  and 
eighteen  hours  from  our  departure  from  the  anchorage 
at  New  York.  The  packet  ship  South  America,  which 
left  New  York  at  the  same  time  we  did,  came  in  a  few 
lengths  behind,  thus  losing  a  wager  of  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars which  had  been  made  the  day  of  starting.  She  had 
been  seen  daily  during  the  voyage,  but  never  passed  us. 
The  sight  was  very  interesting  to  see  these  two  vessels 
enter  port  with  every  inch  of  canvas  spread. 

"When  we  first  sighted  Liverpool  I  went  to  the  side 
of  the  vessel  and  poured  out  my  soul  in  praise  and 
thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  prosperous  voyage,  and  for 
all  the  mercies  which  He  had  vouchsafed  to  me,  and  while 
thus  engaged,  and  contemplating  the  scene  presented  to 
my  view,  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  rested  down  upon  me  in 
a  powerful  manner,  and  my  soul  was  filled  with  love  and 


LIFE    OF    IIEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  13! 

gratitude.  I  felt  humble,  while  I  covenanted  to  dedicate 
myself  to  God,  and  to  love  and  serve  Him  with  all  my 
heart. 

''Immediately  after  we  anchored,  a  small  boat  came 
along-side,  when  several  of  the  passengers,  with  Brothers 
Hyde,  Richards,  Goodson  and  myself  got  in  and  went  to 
shore.  When  we  were  within  six  or  seven  feet  of  the 
pier,  I  leaped  on  shore,  followed  by  Elders  Hyde  and 
Richards,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  stood  on 
British  ground,  among  strangers,  whose  manners  and 
customs  were  different  from  my  own.  My  feelings  at  that 
time  were  peculiar,  particularly  when  I  realized  the 
importance  and  extent  of  my  mission  ;  the  work  to  which 
I  had  been  appointed  and  in  which  I  was  shortly  to  be 
engaged.  However,  I  put  my  trust  in  God,  believing 
that  He  would  assist  me  in  publishing  the  truth,  give  me 
utterance,  and  be  a  present  help  in  time  of  need. 

"Elders  Hyde,  Richards,  and  myself,  being  without 
purse  or  scrip,  wandered  in  the  streets  of  Liverpool, 
where  wealth  and  luxury  abound,  side  by  side  with  pen- 
ury and  want.  I  there  met  the  rich  attired  in  the  most 
costly  dresses,  and  the  next  minute  was  saluted  with  the 
cries  of  the  poor  with  scarce  covering  sufficient  to  screen 
them  from  the  weather.  Such  a  wide  distinction  I  never 
saw  before.  Looking  for  a  place  to  lodge  in,  we  found 
a  room  belonging  to  a  widow  in  Union  Street,  which  we 
engaged  for  a  few  days." 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

STRANGERS  IN  A  STRANGE  LAND THE  ELDERS  LED  BY  THE 

SPIRIT   TO   PRESTON "TRUTH    WILL    PREVAIL" THE 

REVEREND  JAMES  FIELDING WONDERFUL  FULFILLMENT 

OF    HEBER'S    PROPHECIES — A    PEOPLE    PREPARED    FOR 
THE  GOSPEL THE  ELDERS  PREACH  IN  PRESTON. 

AFTER  landing  on  this  foreign  shore,  Heber's  mind 
for  a  season  was  overshadowed  with  gloom.  Among 
strangers  and  without  money — for  he  had  not  a  penny 
in  his  pocket — and  reflecting  on  the  wretched  state  of 
affairs  in  far  away  Kirtland,  where  the  Prophet  of  God, 
whom  he  loved  as  his  own  soul,  was  surrounded  by 
enemies,  and  his  own  family  in  lowly  circumstances 
in  the  midst  of  persecution,  his  spirits  were  much 
depressed.  It  was  then  that  he  had  the  following  night 
vision.  Says  he: 

"I  was  in  a  great  water,  swimming,  and  had  swam 
away,  trying  to  make  land,  although  I  saw  no  land,  until 
I  had  become  weary  and  tired,  when  I  began  to  sink  ; 
then  an  angel  came  to  me  and  placed  his  hand  under  my 
chin,  for  some  time  keeping  me  from  sinking,  until  I  had 
rested  and  gained  strength ;  he  blessed  me  and  said, , 
'Brother  Heber,  you  shall  now  have  strength  to  swim 
ashore.'  I  again  began  to  swim,  and  it  appeared  as 
though  every  time  I  stretched  forth  my  arms  and  feet,  I 
would  move  rods  at  each  stroke,  and  continued  doing  so 
until  I  reached  land." 

This  dream,  coming  as  such  dreams  generally  do, 
in  a  season  of  deep  depression,  was  as  a  spring  of  pure 
water  in  the  desert  to  the  parched  lips  of  the  weary 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  133 

traveler.  As  a  promise  of  success,  it  was  amply  verified 
in  the  subsequent  experience  of  the  father  and  founder 
of  the  British  mission.  "Rods  at  a  stroke"  is  indeed  a 
strikingly  appropriate  figure,  illustrating  the  labors  in  the 
vineyard  of  this  faithful  and  mighty  servant  of  the  Lord. 

"The  time  we  were  in  Liverpool,"  he  continues, 
"was  spent  in  council,  and  in  calling  on  the  Lord  for 
direction.  While  thus  engaged,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
was  with  us  and  we  felt  greatly  strengthened.  Our  trust 
was  in  God,  who  could  make  us  as  useful  in  bringing 
down  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  as  He  did  the  ram's  horns 
in  bringing  down  the  walls  of  Jericho ;  and  in  gathering 
out  a  number  of  precious  souls,  who  were  buried  amid 
the  rubbish  of  tradition,  and  who  had  no  one  to  show 
them  the  way  of  truth." 

"Go  to  Preston,"  said  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and 
to  Preston  they  went  accordingly.  The  place  indicated 
was  a  large  manufacturing  town  in  Lancashire,  thirty-one 
miles  from  Liverpool.  They  arrived  there  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  July  22nd. 

It  was  election  day  in  Preston.  Her  Majesty,  Queen 
Victoria,  who  had  ascended  the  throne  just  three  days 
before  the  landing  of  the  Elders  on  her  dominions,  had 
ordered  a  general  election  for  members  of  Parliament. 
In  the  very  midst  of  this  busy  and  interesting  scene, 
Heber  and  his  companions  alighted  from  the  coach.  He 
thus  describes  the  spectacle : 

"I  never  witnessed  anything  like  it  in  my  life.  Bands 
of  music  playing.  Flags  flying  in  all  directions.  Thou- 
sands of  men,  women  and  children  parading  the  streets, 
decked  with  ribbons  characteristic  of  the  politics  of  the 
several  candidates.  Anyone  accustomed  to  the  peace- 
able and  quiet  manner  in  which  the  elections  in  America 
are  conducted,  can  scarcely  have  any  idea  of  an  election 


134  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

as  carried  on  in  England.  One  of  the  flags  was  unrolled 
before  us,  nearly  over  our  heads,  the  moment  the  coach 
reached  its  destination,  having  on  it  the  following  motto : 
'TRUTH  WILL  PREVAIL,'  in  large  gilt  letters.  It  being  so 
very  seasonable,  and  the  sentiment  being  so  very  appro- 
priate to  us  in  our  situation,  we  cried  aloud,  'Amen! 
Thanks  be  to  God,  TRUTH  WILL  PREVAIL  !' ' 

The  Elders  took  a  room  in  Wilfred  Street,  in  a  house 
belonging  to  a  widow.  Joseph  Fielding,  in  the  meantime, 
went  in  quest  of  his  brother,  the  Reverend  James  Field- 
ing, who  was  pastor  of  a  church  in  Preston.  Returning 
shortly,  he  was  the  bearer  of  a  polite  message  from  the 
reverend  gentleman,  inviting  the  Elders  to  visit  him  that 
evening.  Accordingly,  Apostles  Kimball  and  Hyde  and 
Elder  Goodson  went,  and  were  kindly  received  by  Mr. 
Fielding  and  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Watson,  a  minister 
from  Bedford.  They  conversed  upon  the  subject  of  the 
Gospel  until  a  late  hour.  Next  morning  the  Elders 
received  from  Mrs.  Watson  a  slight  testimonial  of  her 
appreciation  of  their  visit,  in  the  shape  of  a  half  crown  piece. 

The  Reverend  James  Fielding,  who  was  destined  to 
be  an  instrument  of  Providence  for  the  establishment  of 
Mormonism  in  Preston  —  its  first  foreign  foothold  — 
was  a  brother  to  Miss  Mary  Fielding,  the  same  who,  with 
others,  accompanied  Heber  from  Kirtland  to  Fairport, 
when  he  started  on  his  mission  to  England.  She  subse- 
quently became  the  wife  of  Hyrum  Smith,  the  martyr, 
and  mother  of  Joseph  F.  Smith,  the  Apostle. 

At  this  juncture,  it  will  be  well  to  refer  to  an  extra- 
ordinary prophecy  of  Heber  C.  KimbalFs,  uttered  in  the 
spring  of  1836,  which  connects  itself  in  an  interesting 
manner  with  the  mission  he  was  now  about  to  fulfill. 
Apostle  Parley  P.  Pratt,  over  whom  the  prediction  was 
made,  narrates  the  incident  as  follows  : 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  135 

"It  was  now  April  ;  I  had  retired  to  rest  one  evening 
at  an  early  hour,  and  was  pondering  my  future  course, 
when  there  came  a  knock  at  the  door.  I  arose  and 
opened  it,  when  Elder  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  others 
entered  my  house,  and  being  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
prophecy,  they  blessed  me  and  my  wife,  and  he  prophesied 
as  follows  : 

'"Brother  Parley,  thy  wife  shall  be  healed  from  this 
hour,  and  shall  bear  a  son,  and  his  name  shall  be  Parley ; 
and  he  shall  be  a  chosen  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the 
Lord  to  inherit  the  Priesthood  and  to  walk  in  the  steps 
of  his  father.  He  shall  do  a  great  work  in  the  earth  in 
ministering  the  word  and  teaching  the  children  of  men. 
Arise,  therefore,  and  go  forth  in  the  ministry,  nothing 
doubting.  Take  no  thought  for  your  debts,  nor  the 
necessaries  of  life,  for  the  Lord  will  supply  you  with 
abundant  means  for  all  things. 

'"Thou  shalt  go  to  Upper  Canada,  even  to  the  city 
of  Toronto,  the  capital,  and  there  thou  shalt  find  a  people 
prepared  for  the  fullness  of  the  gospel,  and  they  shall 
receive  thee,  and  thou  shalt  organize  the  Church  among 
them,  and  it  shall  spread  thence  into  the  regions  round 
about,  and  many  shall  be  brought  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth  and  shall  be  filled  with  joy ;  and  from  the  things 
growing  out  of  this  mission  shall  the  fullness  of  the 
Gospel  spread  into  England,  and  cause  a  great  work  to 
be  done  in  that  land.' 

"This  prophecy  was  the  more  marvelous  because, 
being  married  near  ten  years,  we  had  never  had  any 
children  ;  and  for  near  six  years  my  wife  had  been  con- 
sumptive, and  had  been  considered  incurable.  How- 
ever, we  called  to  mind  the  faith  of  Abraham  of  old,  and 
judging  him  faithful  who  had  promised,  we  took  courage." 

Both  these  prophecies,  the   one  relating  to  the  birth 


136  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

of  his  son,  and  the  other  to  his  Canadian  mission,  were 
literally  and  marvelously  fulfilled.  Parley  P.  Pratt,  jun., 
was  born  March  25th,  1837,  eleven  months  after  the  event 
was  thus  foretold.  Among  the  ''people  prepared  for  the 
fullness  of  the  Gospel"  whom  Parley  the  Apostle  found 
"  in  the  city  of  Toronto,"  in  strict  accordance  with 
Heber's  inspired  words,  was  John  Taylor,  afterwards  an 
Apostle  and  the  President  of  the  Church,  and  a  power- 
ful champion  of  Mormonism  in  the  British  Isles  ;  also 
Joseph  Fielding,  Heber's  fellow  missionary,  and  his 
sisters,  Mary  and  Mercy,  who  had  lately  emigrated  from 
England.  The  Fieldings  of  Canada  wrote  to  their 
reverend  brother  in  Preston  an  account  of  the  rise  and 
progress  of  the  latter-day  work,  and  thus  prepared  him 
for  the  advent  of  the  Elders  upon  British  shores.  He,  in 
turn,  told  his  congregation  and  exhorted  them  to  pray  to 
the  Lord  to  send  His  servants  unto  them.  Obedient  to 
his  counsel,  the  worthiest  and  most  pious  members  of  his 
flock  commenced  praying  for  the  coming  of  the  Elders 
from  America.  Their  faith  shook  the  heavens,  and  in 
dreams  and  visions  many  were  shown  the  very  men 
whom  the  Lord  was  about  to  send  into  their  midst. 
Heber  C.  Kimball,  especially,  on  his  arrival  in  Preston 
was  recognized  by  persons  who  had  never  until  then 
beheld  him  in  the  flesh. 

Thus,  "from  things  growing  out  of  this  mission  "  to 
Canada,  had  the  fullness  of  the  Gospel  "spread  into  Eng- 
land," according  to  Heber's  prediction.  Thus,  like 
Parley  in  the  city  of  Toronto,  had  Heber  found  in 
Preston,  souls  who  were  prepared  to  receive  his  message. 
The  angels  of  God  had  been  before  him,  and  left  their 
foot-prints  upon  the  people's  hearts. 

The  day  after  their  arrival  in  Preston,  being  the 
Sabbath,  the  brethren,  on  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Fielding, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  137 

repaired  to  Vauxhall  Chapel,  where  he  held  forth  from 
his  own  pulpit.  "We  sat  before  him,"  says  Heber," 
praying  to  the  Lord  to  open  up  the  way  for  us  to  preach." 
At  the  close  of  the  service,  the  reverend  orentleman,  of 

o 

his  own  accord — for  no  one  had  requested  it — gave  notice 
that  an  Elder  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  would  preach  in 
his  chapel  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  news 
spread  rapidly,  and  a  large  congregation  assembled 
at  the  appointed  hour,  to  hear  the  Elders  from  America. 

The  first  speaker  was  Heber  C.  Kimball.  Says  he : 
"I  declared  that  an  angel  had  visited  the  earth,  and  com- 
mitted the  everlasting  Gospel  to  man  ;  called  their  atten- 
tion to  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel  ;  and  gave  them 
a  brief  history  of  the  nature  of  the  work  which  the  Lord 
had  commenced  on  the  earth  ;  after  which  Elder  Hyde 
bore  testimony  to  the  same,  which  was  received  by  many 
with  whom  I  afterwards  conversed  ;  they  cried  'glory  to 
God,'  and  rejoiced  that  the  Lord  had  sent  His  servants 
unto  them.  Thus  was  the  key  turned  and  the  Gospel 
dispensation  opened  on  the  first  Sabbath  after  landing  in 
England." 

Another  appointment  was  given  out  for  the  brethren 
in  the  evening,  when  Elder  Goodson  preached,  and 
Joseph  Fielding  bore  testimony,  and  still  another  for  the 
Wednesday  night  following,  when  Apostle  Hyde  held 
forth  and  Elder  Richards  added  his  testimony.  The 
chapel  was  filled  to  overflowing,  and  many  were  "pricked 
in  their  hearts,"  being  convinced  of  the  truth,  "and 
began  to  praise  God  and  rejoice  exceedingly." 

Thus  was  the  first  opening  made  for  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel  in  the  British  Isles  and  on  the  continent  of 
Europe.  Thus  it  was — to  use  the  Reverend  Fielding's 
famous  phrase — that  "Kimball  bored  the  holes,  Goodson 
drove  the  nails,  and  Hyde  clinched  them." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

SATAN  ALARMED THE    POWERS    OF    EVIL    CONSPIRE    AGAINST 

THE  ELDERS CHAPELS  AND  CHURCHES  CLOSED  AGAINST 

THEM THE  REVEREND  MR.  FIELDING  IN  HIS  REAL  COL- 
ORS  THE  WORK    CONTINUES    TO    SPREAD AN    ARMY    OF 

DEMONS    ATTACK    THE     ELDERS THE    DAWN     AND    VIC- 
TORY. 

MEANWHILE,    the    powers    of   darkness    had    taken 
counsel  agfainst  these  servants  of  the  Lord.       Not  with- 

o 

out  a  struggle  would  Satan  loose  his  hold,  and  permit 
the  gates  of  salvation  to  open  for  the  eastern,  as  they 
had  already  opened  for  the  western  hemisphere.  The  evil 
one  had  seen  that  the  Church  in  America  was  trembling  on 
the  verge  of  dissolution.  To  give  it  fresh  impetus,  and 
infuse  new  life  into  the  seemingly  sinking  system,  was 
the  object  of  the  Apostles'  mission  to  the  shores  of 
Albion.  The  opening  of  that  mission  it  was  Satan's  fell 
purpose  to  thwart,  and  for  which  he  was  now  gathering, 
far  and  near,  the  embattled  hosts  of  hell. 

The  Elders  might  be  said  to  have  ''stolen  a  march" 
on  the  Adversary,  in  securing,  already,  three  hearings  at 
Vauxhall  Chapel,  with  the  favorable  results  before  noted. 
This  much  could  not  be  retrieved,  but  the  enemy  of 
righteousness  hoped  to  prevent  a  repetition  of  such 
scenes,  and  to  hinder  those  who  believed,  from  obeying 
the  Gospel  by  going  down  into  the  waters  of  baptism. 
For  know,  O  reader — if  thou  art  a  stranger  to  this 
truth — that  Satan  is  well  satisfied  with  their  condition 
who  "only  believe"  in  Jesus,  if  they  are  not  "born  of  the 
water"  according  to  His  righteous  example  and  holy  will. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  14! 

Acting  on  the  principle,  it  may  be  presumed,  that  a 
thing  to  be  recovered  should  first  be  sought  for  where  it 
was  lost,  the  evil  one  determined  to  use  for  his  purpose 
the  Reverend  James  Fielding,  the  very  man  who  had  be- 
friended the  Elders,  and  given  them  their  first  public  op- 
portunity of  declaring  the  message  they  had  been  sent  to 
deliver.  Strange  enough  after  what  had  passed — though 
sufficiently  frequent,  in  similar  phases,  since  those  days, 
to  be  no  longer  a  cause  of  wonderment — he  found  that 
reverend  gentleman  in  precisely  the  mood  best  suited  to 
his  dark  design.  Like  all  who  fear  man  more  than  they 
love  the  Lord,  preferring  the  praise  and  honors  of  the 
world  to  the  approval  of  a  good  conscience  and  the  favor 
of  their  Maker,  the  Reverend  James  Fielding,  when  he 
had  noticed  the  marvelous  effect  of  the  Elders'  preach- 
ing, and  contemplated  the  present  and  prospective 
results,  in  the  leading  away  of  his  flock  to  drink  at  other 
fountains  and  browse  in  other  pastures,  shrank  back 
appalled  from  the  picture  presented  to  his  view.  Willing 
to  sate  his  appetite  for  the  new  and  marvelous,  and  even 
obey  a  doctrine  which  promised  worldly  honors  and 
emoluments,  he  was  not  willing  to  humble  himself  "even 
as  a  little  child"  and  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  at  the 
sacrifice  of  every  earthly  consideration. 

Had  he  forgotten  the  text  which,  perchance,  he  had 
a  hundred  times  preached  glibly  from:  "He  that  taketh 
not  his  cross  and  followeth  after  Me,  is  not  worthy  of 
Me"  ?  Or,  like  many  other  Christian  divines,  "having  a 
form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof,"  was  he 
satisfied  to  believe  that  those  words  had  lost  their  meaning 
for  this  generation  ?  Be  it  as  it  may,  here  is  the  record 
that  will  meet  him  at  the  day  of  judgment: 

"The  Rev.  James  Fielding,  who  had  so  kindly  invited 
us  to  preach  in  his  chapel,  learning  that  a  number  of  his 


14-  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

members  believed  our  testimony,  and  that  some  had 
requested  to  be  baptized,  shut  his  doors  against  us  and 
would  not  suffer  us  to  preach  in  his  chapel  any  more ; 
alleging  for  an  excuse  that  we  had  preached  the  doctrine 
of  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  contrary  to  our 
arrangement  with  him. 

"I  need  scarcely  assure  my  friends  that  nothing  was 
said  to  him  from  which  any  inference  could  be  drawn  that 
we  should  suppress  the  doctrine  of  baptism.  We  deem 
it  too  important  a  doctrine  to  lay  aside  for  any  privilege 
we  could  receive  from  mortals.  Mr.  Fielding  had  been 
apprised  of  our  doctrines  before  we  saw  him,  having 
received  several  communications  from  his  brother  Joseph, 
and  his  two  sisters,  Mary  and  Mercy,  who  wrote  to  him 
from  Canada,  in  which  letters  our  doctrines  were  clearly 
laid  down.  We  likewise  conversed  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject at  our  interview.  He,  having  been  traditioned  to 
believe  in  infant  baptism,  and  having  preached  and  prac- 
tised the  same  a  number  of  years,  saw  the  situation  he 
would  be  placed  in  if  he  obeyed  the  Gospel ;  that  not- 
withstanding his  talents  and  standing  in  society,  he  would 
have  to  come  into  the  sheepfold  by  the  door,  and  after 
all  his  preaching  to  others,  have  to  be  baptized  himself 
for  the  remission  of  sins  by  those  who  were  ordained  to 
that  power.  These  considerations  no  doubt  had  their 
weight  upon  his  mind,  which  caused  him  to  act  as  he  did ; 
and  notwithstanding  his  former  kindness  he  soon  became 
one  of  our  most  violent  opposers. 

"However,  his  congregation  did  not  follow  his 
example,  they  having  some  time  been  praying  for  our 
coming,  and  having  been  assured  by  Mr.  Fielding  that 
he  coulcl  not  place  more  confidence  in  an  angel  than  he 
did  in  the  statements  of  his  brother  Joseph,  respecting 
this  people ;  consequently  they  were  in  a  great  measure 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  143 

prepared  for  the  reception  of  the  Gospel,  probably  as 
much  so  as  Cornelius  was  anciently. 

"  Having  now  no  public  place  to  preach  in,  we  began 
to  preach  at  night  in  private  houses,  which  were  opened 
in  every  direction,  when  numbers  came  to  hear  and 
believed  the  Gospel." 

Thus  was  Satan  unsuccessful  in  stopping  the  spread 
of  the  work.  The  smoking  flax  was  bursting  into  flame, 
and  all  his  efforts  could  not  quench  it.  Chapels  and 
churches  he  might  close,  for  of  them  he  held  the  keys,  but 
the  hearts  of  the  humble  and  pure  were  in  God's  keeping, 
and  to  these  sacred  temples  His  servants  had  ready  access. 

Then  came  the  stroke  climacteric  ;  the  dernier  ressort 
of  satanic  hostility. 

"Saturday  evening,"  says  Heber  C.  Kimball,  "it 
was  agreed  that  I  should  go  forward  and  baptize,  the 
next  morning,  in  the  river  Ribble,  which  runs  through 
Preston. 

"By  this  time  the  adversary  of  souls  began  to  rage, 
and  he  felt  determined  to  destroy  us  before  we  had  fully 
established  the  kingdom  of  God  in  that  land,  and  the 
next  morning  I  witnessed  a  scene  of  satanic  power  and 
influence  which  I  shall  never  forget. 

"Sunday,  July  3Oth,  about  daybreak,  Elder  Isaac 
Russell  (who  had  been  appointed  to  preach  on  the 
obelisk  in  Preston  Square,  that  day,)  who  slept  with 
Elder  Richards  in  Wilfred  Street,  came  up  to  the  third 
story,  where  Elder  Hyde  and  myself  were  sleeping,  and 
called  out,  'Brother  Kimball,  I  want  you  should  get  up 
and  pray  for  me  that  I  may  be  delivered  from  the  evil 
spirits  that  are  tormenting  me  to  such  a  degree  that  I 
feel  I  cannot  live  long,  unless  I  obtain  relief 

"I  had  been  sleeping  on  the  back  of  the  bed.  I 
immediately  arose,  slipped  off  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and 


144  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

passed  round  to  where  he  was.  Elder  Hyde  threw  his 
feet  out,  and  sat  up  in  the  bed,  and  we  laid  hands  on  him, 
I  being  mouth,  and  prayed  that  the  Lord  would  have 
mercy  on  him,  and  rebuked  the  devil. 

"  While  thus  engaged,  I  was  struck  with  great  force 
by  some  invisible  power,  and  fell  senseless  on  the  floor. 
The  first  thing  I  recollected  was  being  supported  by 
Elders  Hyde  and  Richards,  who  were  praying  for  me ; 
Elder  Richards  having  followed  Russell  up  to  my  room. 
Elders  Hyde  and  Richards  then  assisted  me  to  get  on 
the  bed,  but  my  agony  was  so  great  I  could  not  endure 
it,  and  I  arose,  bowed  my  knees  and  prayed.  I  then  arose 
and  sat  up  on  the  bed,  when  a  vision  was  opened  to  our 
minds,  and  we  could  distinctly  see  the  evil  spirits,  who 
foamed  and  gnashed  their  teeth  at  us.  We  gazed  upon 
them  about  an  hour  and  a  half  (by  Willard's  watch). 
We  were  not  looking  towards  the  window,  but  towards 
the  wall.  Space  appeared  before  us,  and  we  saw  the 
devils  coming  in  legions,  with  their  leaders,  who  came 
within  a  few  feet  of  us.  They  came  towards  us  like 
armies  rushing  to  battle.  They  appeared  to  be  men  of 
full  stature,  possessing  every  form  and  feature  of  men  in 
the  flesh,  who  were  angry  and  desperate ;  and  I  shall 
never  forget  the  vindictive  malignity  depicted  on  their 
countenances  as  they  looked  me  in  the  eye ;  and  any 
attempt  to  paint  the  scene  which  then  presented  itself,  or 
portray  their  malice  and  enmity,  would  be  vain.  I  per- 
spired exceedingly,  my  clothes  becoming  as  wet  as  if  I 
had  been  taken  out  of  the  river.  I  felt  excessive  pain, 
and  was  in  the  greatest  distress  for  some  time.  I  can- 

o 

not  even  look  back  on  the  scene  without  feelings  of 
horror ;  yet  by  it  I  learned  the  power  of  the  adversary, 
his  enmity  against  the  servants  of  God,  and  got  some 
understanding  of  the  invisible  world.  We  distinctly 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  145 

heard  those  spirits  talk  and  express  their  wrath  and 
hellish  designs  against  us.  However,  the  Lord  delivered 
us  from  them,  and  blessed  us  exceedingly  that  day." 

Elder  Hyde's  supplemental  description  of  that  fear- 
ful scene  is  as  follows,  taken  from  a  letter  addressed  to 
President  Kimball : 

"Every  circumstance  that  occurred  at  that  scene  of 
devils  is  just  as  fresh  in  my  recollection  at  this  moment 
as  it  was  at  the  moment  of  its  occurrence,  and  will  ever 
remain  so.  After  you  were  overcome  by  them  and  had 
fallen,  their  awful  rush  upon  me  with  knives,  threats 
imprecations  and  hellish  grins,  amply  convinced  me  that 
they  were  no  friends  of  mine.  While  you  were  appar- 
ently senseless  and  lifeless  on  the  floor  and  upon  the  bed 
(after  we  had  laid  you  there),  I  stood  between  you  and 
the  devils  and  fought  them  and  contended  with  them  face 
to  face,  until  they  began  to  diminish  in  number  and  to 
retreat  from  the  room.  The  last  imp  that  left  turned 
round  to  me  as  he  was  going  out  and  said, as  if  to  apologize, 
and  appease  my  determined  opposition  to  them,  '  I  never 
said  anything  against  you  !'  I  replied  to  him  thus:  'It 
matters  not  to  me  whether  you  have  or  have  not ;  you 
area  liar  from  the  beginning!  In  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  depart!  He  immediately  left,  and  the  room  was 
clear.  That  closed  the  scene  of  devils  for  that  time." 

Years  later,  narrating  the  experience  of  that  awful 
morning  to  the  Prophet  Joseph,  Heber  asked  him  what 
it  all  meant,  and  whether  there  was  anything  wrong  with 
him  that  he  should  have  such  a  manifestation. 

"No,  Brother  Heber,"  he  replied,  "at  that  time  you 
were  nigh  unto  the  Lord  ;  there  was  only  a  veil  between 
you  and  Him,  but  you  could  not  see  Him.  When  I 
heard  of  it,  it  gave  me  great  joy,  for  I  then  knew  that  the 

work  of  God    had    taken     root    in    that    land.       It    was 

ID 


146  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

this  that  caused  the  devil  to  make  a  struggle  to  kill 
you." 

Joseph  then  related  some  of  his  own  experience,  in 
many  contests  he  had  had  with  the  evil  one,  and  said  : 
"The  nearer  a  person  approaches  the  Lord,  a  greater 
power  will  be  manifested  by  the  adversary  to  prevent 
the  accomplishment  of  His  purposes." 

An  answer  this,  for  the  unbelieving  and  sophistical, 
who  argue,  with  the  shallow  reasoning  of  Job's  com- 
forters, that  they  have  sinned  most  who  suffer  most,  and 
are  ever  ready  to  ascribe  spiritual  manifestations,  good 
or  evil,  to  madness,  drunkenness  or  imbecility.  It  is 
needful,  we  are  told,  to  experience  opposites,  to  be 
enabled  to  choose  intelligently  between  them ;  and  to 
those  who  have  this  experience,  and  who  "take  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  their  guide,"  the  way  to  judge  is  as  plain  "as 
the  daylight  from  the  dark  night." 

'Tis  Contrast  sways  unceasing  sceptre 

O'er  vast  Appreciation's  realm; 
E'en  Gods,  through  sacrifice  descending, 

Triumphant  rise  to  overwhelm. 

So  was  it  with  the  Apostles  and  Elders  in  Preston, 
after  their  terrible  encounter  with  the  powers  of  evil,  at 
Sunday  day-break,  July  3Oth,  1837.  The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  with  peace  and  joy  that  "passeth  understanding," 
dawned  with  the  Sabbath  sun  upon  their  souls.  They 
had  tasted  of  the  bitter,  and  would  thenceforth  more  fully 
know  the  sweet;  encompassed  about  by  "the  horror  of 
darkness,"  they  hailed  with  ecstacy  till  then  unknown,  the 
glory  of  the  golden  morn. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    REVEREND    MR.    FIELDING  FORBIDS  THE    ELDERS  TO  BAP- 
TIZE    THEIR    CONVERTS APOSTLE     KIMBALL' S    ANSWER: 

"THEY    ARE    OF    AGE    AND    CAN    ACT    FOR    THEMSELVES" 

PREMIER    GLADSTONE   AND  SECRETARY  EVARTS FREE 

AGENCEY  AND  UNRIGHTOUS    DOMINION' HEBER    C.   KIM- 
BALL    BAPTIZES     IN      THE      RIVER      RI15BLE A     MIRACLE. 

THE  Reverend  lames  Fielding,  finding,  notwithstand- 

J  o  <-> 

ing  his  opposition,  that  the  Elders  prospered  in  their 
labors,  and  were  preparing"  to  lead  into  the  waters  of 
baptism  a  number  of  his  flock  who  had  applied  to  them 
for  that  privilege,  wrought  himself  into  "a  fine  frenzy." 
He  had  even  been  to  the  Elders'  lodgings,  and,  confront- 
ing Apostle  Kimball,  forbidden  him  to  baptize  them. 

"They  are  of  age,"  answered  Heber,  "and  can  act 
for  themselves ;  I  shall  baptize  all  who  come  unto  me, 
asking  no  favors  of  any  man." 

"On  hearing  this,"  he  adds,  "Mr.  Fielding  trembled 
and  shook  as  though  he  had  a  chill." 

"They  are  of  age  and  can  act  for  themselves."  A 
similar  answer  to  that  given,  nearly  half  a  century  later, 
by  the  greatest  of  England's  living  statesmen,  when 
asked  by  the  representative  of  "the  freest  government 
on  earth,"  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of  Mormon  emigra- 
tion from  Europe.  An  answer  worthy  of  "the  grand  old 
man,"  as  it  was  worthy  of  the  grand  Apostle,  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  and  in  consonance  with  the  spirit  of  liberty,  the 
genius  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  sublime  Mormon  doctrine, 
the  free  agency  of  man. 

The  destruction  of  human  agency  is  Satan's  peculiar 


148  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

mission ;  a  doctrine  of  devils  from  the  beginning,  it  will 
be  so  unto  the  end.  Force  can  never  win  in  a  contro- 
versy involving  the  conscience,  or  soul  of  man.  "It 
may  compel  the  body,  but  it  cannot  convince  the  mind." 
Thought  is  forever  unfettered ;  as  free  to  the  Siberian 
serf,  as  to  Columbia's  proudest  son,  or  the  monarch  on 
his  throne.  Freedom  to  believe,  man  cannot  give ;  the 
right  to  act,  where  action  injures  no  one,  he  cannot  in  jus- 
tice take  away.  They  who  do  so  follow  after  Lucifer, 
who  rebelled  against  God,  and  was  hurled  with  his  doc- 
trine of  tyranny  from  heaven's  battlements,  drawing 
down  to  perdition  a  third  of  its  spirit  hosts,  "because  of 
their  agency ;"  the  very  eternal  principle  he  had  vainly 
sought  to  destroy. 

The  Prophet  Joseph,  speaking  of  the  power  of  the 
Priesthood,  the  power  which  governs  and  controls  all 
things,  says: 

"No  power  or  influence  can  or  ought  to  be  main- 
tained by  virtue  of  the  Priesthood,  only  by  persuasion, 
by  long  suffering,  by  gentleness,  and  meekness,  and  by 
love  unfeigned. 

"When  we  undertake  to  cover  our  sins,  or  to  gratify 
our  pride,  our  vain  ambition,  or  to  exercise  control,  or 
dominion,  or  compulsion,  upon  the  souls  of  the  children 
of  men,  in  any  degree  of  unrighteousness,  behold  the 
heavens  withdraw  themselves ;  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is 
grieved ;  and  when  it  is  withdrawn,  Amen  to  the  Priest- 
hood, or  the  authority  of  that  man." 

A  sublime  enunciation,  worthy  the  inspired  mind 
of  an  American  Prophet,  cradled  in  the  lap  of  liberty,  and 
born  to  bring  truth  to  light.  Thine  was  a  noble  thought, 
Bartholdi,  noble  though  only  half  expressed.  Not  liberty 
alone,  not  truth  alone,  but  truth  and  liberty,  Liberty  with 
Truth,  shall  yet  "enlighten  the  world." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  149 

Referring  to  the  morning  of  his  contest  with  the 
demons,  Apostle  Kimball  says : 

"Notwithstanding  the  weakness  of  my  body  from 
the  shock  I  had  experienced,  I  had  the  pleasure,  about 
9  a.  m  ,  of  baptizing  nine  individuals  and  hailing  them 
brethren  and  sisters  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  These  were 
the  first  persons  baptized  into  the  Church  in  a  foreign 
land,  and  only  the  eighth  day  after  our  arrival  in  Pres- 
ton." 

"A  circumstance  took  place  which  I  cannot  refrain 
from  mentioning,  for  it  will  show  the  eagerness  and  anx- 
iety of  some  in  that  land  to  obey  the  Gospel.  Two  of 
the  male  candidates,  when  they  had  changed  their  clothes 
at  a  distance  of  several  rods  from  the  place  where  I  was 
standing  in  the  water,  were  so  anxious  to  obey  the  Gos- 
pel that  they  ran  with  all  their  might  to  the  water,  each 
wishing  to  be  baptized  first.  The  younger,  George  D. 
Watt,  being  quicker  of  foot  than  the  elder,  outran  him, 
and  came  first  into  the  water." 

"The  circumstance  of  baptizing  in  the  open  air 
being  somewhat  novel,  a  concourse  of  between  seven 
and  nine  thousand  persons  assembled  on  the  banks  of 
the  river  to  witness  the  ceremony.  It  was  the  first  time 
baptism  by  immersion  was  administered  openly,  as  the 
Baptists  in  that  country  generally  have  a  font  in  their 
chapels,  and  perform  the  ordinance  privately." 

"In  the  afternoon  Elder  Russell  preached  in  the 
market  place  to  a  congregation  of  about  five  thousand 
persons,  numbers  of  whom  were  pricked  to  the  heart. 

"I  had  visited  Thomas  Wahnesley's  house,  whose 
wife  was  sick  of  the  consumption  and  had  been  for  sev- 
eral years ;  she  was  reduced  to  skin  and  bones,  a  mere 
skeleton ;  and  was  given  up  to  die  by  the  doctors.  I 
preached  the  Gospel  to  her,  and  promised  her  in  the  name 


150  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  if  she  would  believe,  repent 
and  be  baptized,  she  should  be  healed  of  her  sickness. 
She  was  carried  to  the  water,  and  after  her  baptism  began 
to  amend,  and  at  her  confirmation  she  was  blest,  and  her 
disease  rebuked,  when  she  immediately  recovered,  and 
in  less  than  one  week  after  she  was  attending  to  her 
household  duties." 

Sister  Walmesley,  the  subject  of  this  episode,  is  still 
living.  She  resides  in  Bear  Lake  County,  Idaho,  and 
though  far  advanced  in  years,  at  last  accounts  was  hale 
and  hearty. 

Thus  was  a  miracle  wrought  that  day,  and  nine  souls 
initiated  into  the  kingdom  of  God ;  the  first  fruits  of  the 
Gospel  in  a  foreign  land.  The  names  of  those  bap- 
tized were  George  D.  Watt,  -  -  Miller,  Thomas  Wal- 
mesley, Ann  Elizabeth  Walmesley  Miles  Hodgen, 
George  Wate,  Henry  Billsbury,  Mary  Ann  Brown  and 
Ann  Dawson. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE    ELDERS    SEPARATE    FOR     THE     BETTER    PROSECUTION    OF 

THEIR       WORK JENNETTA     RICHARDS THE       PRESTON 

BRANCH    ORGANIZED HEBER    GOES    TO    WALKERFOLD 

ANOTHER  MINISTER'S  "CRAFT  IN  DANGER" — MORE  OF 
HEBER'S    PROPHECIES — "\\TLLARD,    i     BAPTIZED    YOUR 

WIFE    TO-DAY." 

HAYING  gained  a  foothold  in  Preston,  and  lifted  the 
ensign  of  the  latter-clay  work,  around  which  the  ransomed 
of  the  Lord  were  beginning  to  rally,  the  Elders  decided 
to  separate  and  carry  the  Gospel  into  other  counties. 
They  met  in  council  the  day  after  the  first  baptisms  in 
the  River  Ribble,  and  "continued  in  fasting  and  prayer, 
praise  and  thanksgiving  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning." 
Elders  Richards  and  Goodson  were  appointed  to  go  on 
a  mission  to  the  city  of  Bedford,  and  Brothers  Russell 
and  Snyder  to  Alston,  in  Cumberland.  Apostles 
Kimball  and  Hyde,  with  Priest  Fielding,  were  to 
remain  and  labor  in  and  around  Preston.  A  day  or  two 
later  the  brethren  departed  for  their  fields  of  labor. 

The  second  important  step  in  the  founding  of  the 
British  mission  was  now  taken. 

"On  Wednesday,  August  2nd,"  says  Elder  Kimball, 
"Miss  Jennetta  Richards,  a  young  lady,  the  daughter  of  a 
minister  of  the  Independent  Order,  who  resided  at 
Walkerfold,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Preston,  came  to  the 
house  of  Thomas  Walmesley,  with  whom  she  was 
acquainted.  Calling  in  to  see  them  at  the  time  she  was 
there,  I  was  introduced  to  her,  and  we  immediately 
entered  into  conversation  on  the  subject  of  the  Gospel. 


152  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

I  found  her  very  intelligent.  She  seemed  very  desirous 
to  hear  the  things  I  had  to  teach  and  to  understand  the 
doctrines  of  the  gospel.  I  informed  her  of  my  appoint- 
ment to  preach  that  evening,  and  invited  her  to  attend. 
She  did  so  ;  and  likewise  the  evening  following.  After 
attending  these  two  services  she  was  fully  convinced  of 
the  truth. 

"Friday  morning,  4th,  she  sent  for  me,  desiring  to 
be  baptized,  which  request  I  cheerfully  complied  with,  in 
the  river  Ribble,  and  confirmed  her  at  the  water  side, 
Elder  Hyde  assisting.  This  was  the  first  confirmation 
in  England.  The  following  day  she  started  for  home, 
and  wept  as  she  was  about  to  leave  us.  I  said  to  her, 
'Sister,  be  of  good  cheer,  for  the  Lord  will  soften  the 
heart  of  thy  father,  that  I  will  yet  have  the  privilege  of 
preaching  in  his  chapel,  and  it  shall  result  in  a  great 
opening  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  that  region.'  I  exhorted 
her  to  pray  and  be  humble.  She  requested  me  to  pray 
for  her,  and  gave  me  some  encouragement  to  expect 
that  her  father  would  open  his  chapel  for  me  to  preach 
in.  I  then  hastened  to  my  brethren,  told  them  of  the 
circumstances  and  the  result  of  my  visit  with  the  young 
lady,  and  called  upon  them  to  unite  with  me  in  prayer 
that  the  Lord  would  soften  the  heart  of  her  father,  that 
he  might  be  induced  to  open  his  chapel  for  us  to  preach 
in." 

While  awaiting  the  issue  of  this  event,  the  brethren 

o 

continued  their  ministerial  labors.  The  record  resumes: 
"Sunday,  6th,  Elder  Hyde  preached  in  the  market- 
place to  a  numerous  assemblage,  both  rich  and  poor, 
who  flocked  from  all  parts  'to  hear  what  these  dippers 
had  to  say.'  After  he  was  through  with  his  discourse  I 
gave  an  exhortation,  and  when  I  had  concluded  a  learned 
minister  stepped  forth  to  oppose  the  doctrines  we 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  153 

advanced,  but  more  particularly  the  doctrine  of  baptism, 
he  being  a  great  stickler  for  infant  baptism.  The  people 
thinking  that  he  intended  to  offend  us,  would  not  let  him 
proceed,  but  seemed  determined  to  put  him  down,  and 
undoubtedly  would  have  done  so  had  not  Brother  Hyde 
interposed  and  begged  permission  for  the  gentleman  to 
speak  ;  telling  the  congregation  that  he  was  prepared  to 
meet  any  arguments  he  might  advance.  This  appeased 
the  people,  who  listened  to  the  remarks  of  the  reverend 
gentleman,  after  which  Brother  Hyde  spoke  in  answer 
to  the  objections  which  had  been  offered,  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  nearly  all  present,  and  the  minister  appeared 
somewhat  ashamed.  Some  of  the  people  hissed  at  him 
and  told  him  not  to  do  the  like  again.  One  individual 
came  up  and  asked  him  what  he  now  thought  of  his  baby 
baptism  ;  when  another  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led 
him  out  of  the  throng." 

It  was  now  deemed  advisable  to  confirm  all  who 
had  been  baptized  and  organize  them  into  a  branch, 
twenty-eight  persons  having  been  baptized  in  Preston, 
but  only  one  confirmed.  .  The  converts  were  accordingly 
requested  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Sister  Ann  Dawson, 
where  the  Elders  had  their  lodgings.  It  was  the  even- 
ing of  the  third  Sabbath  they  had  spent  in  England.  The 
meeting  having  convened,  after  some  preliminary 
remarks  by  the  Elders,  they  confirmed  twenty-seven 
members  and  organized  the  Preston  branch,  the  first 
branch  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  in  a  foreign  land.  While  attending  to  these 
sacred  duties,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  poured  out  upon 
them  in  a  powerful  manner,  causing  them  to  rejoice 
exceedingly. 

And  now  came  the  fulfillment  of  Heber's  prophecy 
to  Jennetta  Richards,  daughter  of  the  minister  of  Wai- 


154  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

kerfold.  The  early  part  of  the  week  brought  two  letters 
to  Elder  Kimball,  one  from  Miss  Richards,  and  the  other 
from  her  father.  The  latter  read  as  follows: 

Mr.  H.  C.  Kimball, 

Sir: — You  are  expected  to  be  here  next 
Sunday.  You  are  given  out  to  preach  in  the  fore- 
noon, afternoon  and  evening.  Although  we  be  strangers 
to  one  another,  yet,  I  hope  we  are  not  strangers  to  our 
blessed  Redeemer,  else  I  would  not  have  given  out  for 
you  to  preach.  Our  chapel  is  but  small  and  the  congre- 
gation few, — yet  if  one  soul  be  converted  it  is  of  more 
value  than  the  whole  world. 

"I  remain,  in  haste, 

"JoHN  RICHARDS." 

Taking  coach  from  Preston  on  the  following  Saturday 
afternoon,  a  little  before  dark  Heber  arrived  at  the  door 
of  the  Revered  John  Richards,  in  Walkerfold.  On 
entering  the  house  he  was  warmly  greeted  by  Mr.  Rich- 
ards, who  said:  "I  understand  you  are  the  minister 
lately  from  America?"  Heber  replied  in  the  affirma- 
tive. The  reverend  gentleman  then  bade  him  welcome 
and  exclaimed  :  "God  bless  you!"  Refreshments  were 
served  and  conversation  ensued  until  a  late  hour,  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  whole  family. 

"Next  morning,"  says  Heber,  "I  accompanied  the 
reverend  gentleman  to  his  chapel  at  the  hour  appointed. 
He  gave  out  the  hymns  and  prayed,  and  I  preached  to  an 
overflowing  congregation  on  the  principles  of  salvation. 
I  likewise  preached  in  the  afternoon  and  evening,  and 
they  seemed  to  manifest  great  interest  in  the  things 
which  I  laid  before  them.  Nearly  the  whole  congre- 
gation were  in  tears.  After  I  had  concluded  the  services 
of  the  day  Mr.  Richards  gave  out  another  appointment 
for  me  to  preach  on  Monday  evening,  which  I  attended 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  155 

to.  By  request  of  the  congregation  I  likewise  preached 
on  Wednesday  evening.  A  number  believed  the  doctrines 
I  advanced,  and  on  Thursday,  I7th,  six  individuals,  all 
members  of  Mr.  Richards'  church,  came  forward  for 
baptism.  James  Smithies  and  his  wife  Nancy  were  two 
of  the  number. 

This  result  was  more  than  the  good  pastor  had 
anticipated.  He  had  listened  with  deep  interest  to,  and 
had  been  willing  for  his  congregation  to  hear,  the  simple 
yet  powerful  testimony  of  the  Mormon  Apostle,  who, 
fired  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  all  unmindful  of  the 
studied  arts  and  graces  of  pulpit  oratory,  spake,  like 
his  Master  of  yore,  "as  one  having  authority."  But 
conversions  of  this  kind  he  had  not  counted  upon. 
Fearful  of  losing  his  entire  flock,  and  also  his  salary,  if 
any  more  such  preaching  were  to  be  heard  in  his  chapel, 
he  informed  Elder  Kimball  that  he  would  be  obliged  to 
close  his  pulpit  against  him.  Unlike  Mr.  Fielding,  how- 
ever, he  manifested  no  bitterness  of  spirit,  but  after 
denying  him  this  privilege,  continued  to  treat  his  Mor- 
mon guest  with  great  kindness  and  hospitality. 

Heber's  mind  had  been  prepared  for  the  change. 
"One  night,"  says  he,  "while  at  Mr.  Richards'  house,  I 
dreamed  that  an  elderly  gentleman  came  to  me  and 
rented  me  a  lot  of  ground,  which  I  was  anxious  to  culti- 
vate. I  immediately  went  to  work  to  break  it  up ;  and 
observing  young  timber  on  the  lot,  I  cut  it  down.  There 
was  also  an  old  building  at  one  corner  of  the  lot  which 
appeared  ready  to  fall.  I  took  a  lever  and  endeavored 
to  place  the  building  in  a  proper  position,  but  all  my 
attempts  were  futile,  and  it  became  worse.  I  then 
resolved  to  pull  it  down,  and  with  the  new  timber  build 
a  good  house  on  a  good  foundation.  While  thus 
engaged,  the  gentleman  of  whom  I  had  rented  the  place 


156  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

came   and   found   great   fault  with  me  for  destroying  his 
young  timber,  etc. 

"This  dream  was  fulfilled  in  the  following  manner: 
After  Mr.  Richards  let  me  preach  in  his  chapel,  I  bap- 
tized all  of  his  young  members,  as  I  had  before  baptized 
his  daughter.  He  then  reflected  upon  himself  for  letting 
me  have  the  privilege  of  his  chapel ;  told  me  that  I  had 
ruined  his  church,  and  had  taken  away  all  his  young 
members.  I  could  not  but  feel  pity  for  the  old  gentle- 
man, but  I  had  a  duty  to  perform  which  outweighed  all 
other  considerations." 

Heber  now  began  to  preach  in  private  houses,  which 
were  opened  in  the  neighborhood,  and  "ceased  not  to 
declare  the  glorious  tidings  of  salvation."  Among  his 
interested  auditors,  still,  was  the  Reverend  John  Rich- 
ards. His  daughter  Jennetta  was  very  sorrowful  over 
the  turn  affairs  had  taken,  and  wept  much  at  his  refusal 
to  allow  Elder  Kimball  to  preach  in  his  chapel.  Heber 
told  her  to  be  of  good  cheer,  for  he  believed  that  the 
Lord  would  soften  her  father's  heart,  and  cause  him  to 
reopen  his  chapel. 

The  fulfillment  is  noted  as  follows : 
"Sunday,  27th,  I  went  along  with  him  to  his  meeting, 
feeling  a  desire  to  hear  him  preach.  After  he  had 
finished  his  discourse,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  hear 
him  give  out  another  appointment  for  me  to  preach 
in  his  chapel.  I  accordingly  preached  in  the  afternoon 
and  evening.  The  words  were  with  power.  The  effect 
was  great  upon  the  people,  for  they  were  in  tears,  and 
the  next  day  I  baptized  two  more,  both  of  them  mem- 
bers of  Mr.  Richards'  church.  Although  he  had  preached 
in  that  parish  upwards  of  thirty  years,  and  his  members, 
as  well  as  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  and  vicinity,  were 
very  4much  attached  to  him,  yet  when  the  fulness  of  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  157 

Gospel  was  preached,  the  people,  notwithstanding  their 
attachment    to   and    regard    for  their  venerable  pastor, 
when    convinced  of    their  duty  came  forward    and    fol- 
owed  the  footsteps  of  the  Savior,  by  being  buried  in  the 
likeness  of  His  death." 

While  laboring  in  this  neighborhood,  Heber  had 
a  dream  in  which  Willard  Richards  appeared  to  him  and 
said:  "You  are  wanted  at  Preston,  and  we  cannot  do 
without  you  any  longer." 

"The  next  morning,"  says  he,  "I  started  for  Preston 
where  I  found  that  I  was  anxiously  expected  by  the 
brethren,  who  had  received  a  letter  from  Brother 
Richards,  and  one  from  Brother  Russell,  giving  an 
account  of  their  proceedings  since  they  left  Preston. 
There  was  also  a  letter  from  my  wife,  which  contained 
many  precious  items  of  news  from  Kirtland.  Elder 
Hyde  praised  the  Lord  on  seeing  me.  Brother  Good- 
son  had  likewise  returned  from  Bedford,  where  he  and 
Brother  Richards  had  labored ;  he  gave  us  an  account  of 
their  mission  and  success  in  raising  up  a  little  branch  of 
nineteen." 

Another  of  Heber's  prophecies — one  of  those  seem- 
ingly casual  though  fateful  utterances  for  which  he  was 
famous — must  here  be  mentioned. 

"Willard,  I  baptized  your  wife  to-day,"  were  his 
words  addressed  to  Elder  Richards  just  after  Jennetta 
Richards  joined  the  Church.  Willard  and  Jennetta  had 
not  yet  seen  each  other.  The  sequel  is  in  WillarcTs 
own  words,  taken  from  his  diary.  Time  :  March,  1838  : 

"I  took  a  tour  through  the  branches,  and  preached. 
While  walking  in  Thornly  I  plucked  a  snowdrop,  far 
through  the  hedge,  and  carried  it  to  James  Mercer's  and 
hung  it  up  in  his  kitchen.  Soon  after,  Jennetta  Richards 
came  into  the  room,  and  I  walked  with  her  and  Alice 


158  LIFE     OK     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Parker  to  Ribchester,  and  attended  meeting  with 
Brothers  Kimball  and  Hyde  at  Brother  Clark's. 

"While  walking  with  these  sisters,  I  remarked, 
'  Richards  is  a  good  name  ;  I  never  want  to  change  it ; 
do  you,  Jennetta.'  'No;  I  do  not,'  was  her  reply,  'and 
I  think  I  never  will.' ' 

"Sept.  24th,  1839,  I  married  Jennetta  Richards, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Richards,  independent  minister 
at  Walkerfold,  Chaigley,  Lancashire.  Most  truly  do  I 
praise  my  Heavenly  Father  for  His  great  kindness  in  pro- 
viding me  a  partner  according  to  His  promise.  I  receive 
her  from  the  Lord,  and  hold  her  at  His  disposal.  I  pray 
that  He  may  bless  us  forever.  Amen  !" 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    MISSION    OF    ELIAS THE  SYMBOLISM  OF    THE    UNIVERSE 

THE      PAST     PREPARATORY     TO      THE       PRESENT       AND 

FUTURE THE    WAY     PREPARED    FOR      THE     FULNESS    OF 

THE    GOSPEL THE      "LESSER    LIGHTS "    OF    ENGLAND 

FIELDING,   MATTHEWS    AND    AITKEN— THE  STARS  PALING 
BEFORE  THE    SUN. 

THE  mission  of  Elias  is  the  mission  of  preparation, 
the  lesser  going  before  the  greater,  opening  up 
the  way.  The  day-star  heralding  the  dawn.  The  wedge 
of  truth  piercing  the  wall  of  prejudice,  cleaving  the  ranks 
of  error,  creating  the  gap  through  which  shall  ride  on 
victory's  flaming  wheels,  the  chariot  of  Righteousness. 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  159 

''Behold  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall 
prepare  the  way  before  me." 

What  Christ  is  to  the  Father,  Elias  is  to  the  Son  ; 
messenger  and  symbol  of  His  Majesty.  And  hath  not 
Elias  also  his  fore-runner  ?  The  mantle  of  Elias  falls  on 
many  shoulders  ;  the  shadow  of  that  mantle  on  many 
more. 

Life,  the  universe,  is  one  vast  symbolism.  Earth 
fore-shadows  heaven.  The  stars,  the  worlds  on  hio-h, 

o 

are  of  higher  worlds  typical ;  a  climax  of  constellations,  a 
ladder  of  light,  a  burning  stairway  of  immortal  glories. 

"System  on  system,  countless  worlds  and  suns, 
Linked  in  division,  one  yet  separate, 
The  silver  islands  of  a  sapphire  sea, 
Shoreless,  unfathomed,  undiminished,  stirred 
With  waves  which  roll  in  restless  tides  of  change." 

Planet  above  planet,  step  by  step,  lustre  upon  lustre 
"until  thou  come  nigh  to  Kolob  ;"  Kolob,  lord  of  light, 
king  of  kokaubeam,  nearest  unto  the  throne  of  God. 

And  shall  it  not  be  seen  when  all  history  is  writ- 
ten, on  earth  as  in  heaven,  where  it  exists  as  a  pro- 
phecy ;  when  all  secrets  are  revealed  and  hidden  things 
made  known  ;  that  Time  with  all  its  ages  is  a  chain,  a 
climax,  an  ascending  scale  of  dispensations,  merging  in 
each  other,  and  all  into  one,  like  rills  and  rivers  mingling 
with  the  ocean  ;  that  men  and  nations  from  the  beginning 
have  carved  out  the  way  for  other  men  and  nations  ; 
that  human  lives  and  human  events,  like  sections  of 
machinery  turned  by  the  enginery  of  Omnipotence,  have 
fitted  into  and  impelled  each  other,  under  the  controlling, 
guiding  master  mind  and  hand  that  "doeth  all  things 
well?" 

Was  not  the  past  all  preparatory  to  the  present  ? 
Does  not  the  present  foreshadow  the  future  ?  Are  not 


I6O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

influences  at  work,  even  now  ;  doctrines  being  taught, 
truths  put  forth  by  pulpit,  play  and  press  ;  discoveries 
made  in  art  and  science  ;  antiquities  unveiled  and 
mysteries  brought  to  light,  that  are  surely  paving  the 
way  for  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ,  past,  present  and 
to  come  ?  Is  not  the  knowledge  now  possessed  by  the 
Saints,  glorious  though  it  be,  but  a  foretaste,  the  ante- 
past  of  a  greater  feast  of  knowledge  yet  to  follow  ? 

The  mission  of  Elias  is  the  mission  of  preparation, 
the  lesser  going  before  the  greater,  opening  up  the  way. 

The  mantle  of  Elias  falls  on  many  shoulders ;  the 
shadow  of  that  mantle  on  many  more. 

In  America,  it  was  Sidney  Rigdon,  Alexander  Camp- 
bell and  other  orators  and  divines,  who  prepared  the 
way  before  Joseph  Smith  and  the  fullness  of  the  ever- 
lasting gospel.  In  England,  the  Fieldings,  the  Mat- 
thews, the  Aitkens  and  other  lights,  shed  the  lustre 
of  advanced  thought  over  the  path-way  soon  to  be 
brightened  by  the  beams  of  eternal  truth.  Receiving 
not  the  light  themselves,  they  nevertheless  bore  witness 
of  its  approach,  and  unknowingly  made  ready  the  minds 
of  many  for  its  acceptance.  The  more  lustrously  they 
shone,  the  greater  their  measure  of  power,  the  higher, 
wider,  deeper,  more  advanced  and  more  liberal  their 
doctrines,  the  nearer  they  approximated,  although  they 
knew  it  not,  to  what  the  world  terms  "Mormonism," 
what  men  in  other  ages  called  "  Christianism,"  but  what 
the  Gods  in  eternity  have  glorified  as  the  Gospel  of  life 
and  salvation. 

This  preparatory  work,  like  the  work  which  was  to 
follow,  was  both  spiritual  and  temporal.  In  America, 
the  sword  of  a  Washington,  the  pen  of  a  Jefferson  had 
carved  out  the  legend  of  liberty,  "All  men  are  equal,"  ere 
the  Gospel  trump  was  heard  again  proclaiming,  to  high 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  l6l 

and  low,  rich  and  poor,  "Peace  on  earth,  good  will  to 
men."  In  England,  Victoria  had  ascended  the  throne, 
and  the  spirit  of  reform,  in  church  and  state,  was  rolling, 
a  billow  of  victory,  over  the  land.  Society  was  moved 
to  its  center.  Old  institutions  were  crumbling.  The 
iconoclast  was  abroad.  Steam  and  electricity  had  begun 
their  miracles;  science  was  exploding  superstition; 
tyrant's  thrones  were  tottering;  Liberty's  upheaval  in 
the  west  had  shaken  the  very  pillars  of  the  east;  the 
"former  things"  were  passing  away;  He  that  "sat  upon 
the  throne"  was  making  "all  things  new." 

Thus  had  God  prepared  the  way  for  the  advent  of 
the  everlasting  Gospel. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  man  chosen  to  pioneer  the 
work  on  Europe's  shores,  to  lead  the  assault  on  Satan's 
strongholds  in  the  old  world,  and  wave  back  over  the 
Atlantic  to  his  chief  the  signal  of  truth  triumphant  among 
the  nations,  was  Heber  C.  Kimball. 

Speaking  of  those  "lesser  lights"  who  went  before 
him  and  his  brethren  and  unwittingly  helped  them  to 
establish  Mormonism  in  the  British  Isles,  Heber  says, 
referring  now  to  the  mission  of  Elders  Richards  and 
Goodson  to  the  city  of  Bedford : 

"A  minister  by  the  name  of  Timothy  R.  Matthews, 
a  brother-in-law  to  Joseph  Fielding,  received  them  very 
kindly,  and  invited  them  to  preach  in  his  church,  which 
was  accepted,  and  in  it  they  preached  several  times, 
when  a  number,  amongst  whom  were  Mr.  Matthews  and 
his  lady,  believed  their  testimony,  and  the  truths  which 
they  proclaimed.  Mr.  Matthews  had  likewise  home  tes- 
timony to  his  congregation  of  the  truth  of  these  things, 
and  that  they  were  the  same  principles  that  were  taught 
by  the  Apostles  anciently ;  and  besought  his  congrega- 
tion to  receive  the  same.  Forty  of  his  members  went 


'  ! 


1 62  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

forward  and  were  baptized,  and  the  time  was  appointed 
when  he  was  to  be  baptized.  In  the  interval,  however, 
Brother  Goodson,  contrary  to  my  counsel  and  positive 
instructions,  and  without  advising  with  any  one,  read  to 
Mr.  Matthews  the  vision  seen  by  President  Joseph  Smith 
and  Sidney  Rigdon,  which  caused  him  to  stumble,  and 
darkness  pervaded  his  mind  ;  so  much  so,  that  at  the 
time  specified  he  did  not  make  his  appearance,  but  went 
and  baptized  himself  in  the  river  Ouse ;  and  from  that 
time  he  began  to  preach  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
He  wrote  to  Rev.  James  Fielding  saying  that  his  best 
members  had  left  him." 

"Mr.  Matthews  was  a  gentleman  of  considerable 
learning  and  talent.  He  had  been  a  minister  in  the 
established  church  of  England,  but  seeing  many  things  in 
that  church  contrary  to  truth  and  righteousness,  and  feel- 
ing that  an  overturn  was  nigh  at  hand,  and  that  the 
church  was  destitute  of  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  and  was 
not  expecting  the  Savior  to  come  to  reign  upon  the  earth, 
as  had  been  spoken  by  the  prophets ;  he  felt  led  to  with- 
draw from  that  body,  and  gave  up  his  prospects  in  that 
establishment.  He  then  began  to  preach  the  things 
which  he  verily  believed,  and  was  instrumental  in  raising 
up  quite  a  church  in  that  place." 

This  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Fielding,  in  Preston: 
"Mr.  James  Fielding  had  been  a  minister  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  but  for  some  of  the  above  causes  had 
withdrawn  from  that  society,  and  had  collected  a  consid- 
erable church  in  Preston.  Those  gentlemen,  with  their 
congregations  at  the  time  we  arrived  were  diligently  con- 
tending for  that  faith  which  was  once  delivered  to  the 
saints  ;  but  they  afterwards  rejected  the  truth.  Notwith- 
standing they  did  not  obey  the  Gospel,  the  greater  por- 
tion of  their  members  received  our  testimony,  obeyed 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  163 

the  ordinances  we  taught,  and  are  now   rejoicing  in   the 
blessings  of  the  new  and  everlasting  covenant." 

Of  the  Rev.  Robert  Aitken,  the  most  famous  of 
these  reform  ministers,  Tullidge,  our  local  historian,  says: 

"He  seems  to  have  been  almost  a  Whitefield  in  his 
eloquence  and  magical  influence  over  the  people.  He 
was  emphatically  the  most  popular  'new  light'  of  the 
period  in  England.  For  years  he  had  been  preaching 
very  successfully  against  'the  corruptions  of  the  estab- 
lished church.'  His  mission  had  been  quite  a  crusade 
against  the  English  Episcopacy,  and  he  had  established 
many  flourishing  chapels  in  Liverpool,  Preston,  Man- 
chester, Burslem,  London  and  elsewhere.  In  the  metro- 
polis he  founded  'Zion's  chapel'  and  what  is  interesting 
in  the  case  was  that  his  themes  on  the  ancient  prophecies 
and  their  fulfillment  in  'these  latter  days'  were  very  like 
what  might  have  been  heard  from  Alexander  Campbell 
or  the  eloquent  Sidney  Rigdon,  before  as  well  as  after 
he  became  a  Mormon  Elder.  The  Rev.  Robert  Aitken 
was  also  powerful  in  his  'warnings  to  the  Gentiles,'  and 
his  sermons  were  often  glorious  outbursts  of  inspiration, 
when  he  dwelt  upon  the  prospect  of  a  latter-day  church 
rising  in  fulfillment  of  the  prophets." 

But  the  power  and    influence   of   this   brilliant  star 
were  about  to  wane.     A  greater  luminary  had  arisen— 
the  very  Latter-day   Church  of  which  he  had  spoken— 
before   whose   rays    the   light  of    "Zion's   Chapel"  must 
pale  as  pales  the  starlight  before  the  morn. 

Concerning  this  celebrated  expounder  of  the  Bible, 
and  pounder  of  the  Book  of  Mormon — for  such  it  seems 
he  literally  was — Apostle  Kimball  writes : 

"Soon  after  our  arrival  in  England,  many  of  the 
Aitkenites  embraced  the  Gospel,  which  caused  consider- 
able feeling  and  opposition  in  the  ministers  belonging 


164  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

to  that  sect.  Having  lost  quite  a  number  of  members, 
and  seeing  that  more  were  on  the  eve  of  being  baptized, 
the  Rev.  Robert  Aitken  came  to  Preston,  and  gave  out 
that  he  was  going  to  put  down  Mormonism,  expose  the 
doctrines,  and  overthrow  the  Book  of  Mormon.  He 
made  a  very  long  oration  on  the  subject,  was  very  vehe- 
ment in  his  manner,  and  pounded  the  Book  of  Mormon 
on  the  pulpit  many  times.  He  then  exhorted  the  people 
to  pray  that  the  Lord  would  drive  us  from  their  coast ; 
and  if  the  Lord  would  not  hear  them  in  that  petition,  that 
He  would  smite  the  leaders. 

"The  next  Sunday  Elder  Hyde  and  myself  went  to 
our  meeting  room,  read  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  first 
Corinthians,  and  strongly  urged  upon  the  people  the 
grace  of  charity  which  is  so  highly  spoken  of  in  that 
chapter,  and  made  some  remarks  on  the  proceedings  of 
the  Reverend  Robert  Aitken,  who  had  abused  us  and  the 
Book  of  Mormon  so  very  much.  In  return  for  his  rail- 
ing we  exhorted  the  Saints  to  pray  that  the  Lord  would 
soften  his  heart  and  open  his  eyes  that  he  might  see  that 
it  was  hard  to  'kick  against  the  pricks.'  This  discourse 
had  a  very  good  effect,  and  that  week  we  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  baptizing  fifty  into  the  kingdom  of  Jesus,  a  large 
number  of  whom  were  members  of  Mr.  Aitken's  church." 

Thus  did  the  sheep  of  Israel,  straying  in  Idumean 
pastures,  continue  flocking  back  into  the  Master's  fold. 
They  knew  the  voice  of  their  Shepherd  when  He  called,, 
and  a  stranger  they  would  no  longer  follow. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

THE  TEMPERANCE    REFORM    IN    PRESTON A    WORK    PREPARA- 
TORY   TO    THE    GOSPEL PREACHING  IN  THE   "COCK  PIT" 

HEBER  WRITES  HOME  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS    MISSION 

THE  WORK    IN    CUMBERLAND EPISODE  OF  MARY  SMITH- 
IES  "SHE      SHALL      LIVE     TO     BECOME     A     MOTHER     IN 

ISRAEL." 

ONE  of  the  great  movements  in  England,  com- 
menced just  prior  to  the  landing  of  the  Elders,  was  the 
temperance  reform.  Undoubtedly  this  was  a  work  pre- 
paratory to  the  advent  of  the  Gospel,  and  one  recognized 
as  such,  not  only  by  the  Elders,  but  by  their  converts 
connected  with  the  temperance  cause. 

"In  almost  every  place  we  went,"  says  Elder  Kim- 
ball,  "where  there  was  a  temperance  hall,  we  could  get 
it  to  preach  in,  many  believing  that  we  made  men  tem- 
perate faster  than  they  did ;  for  as  soon  as  any  obeyed 
the  Gospel  they  abandoned  their  excesses  in  drinking; 
none  of  us  drank  any  kind  of  spirits,  porter,  small  beer,  or 
even  wine;  neither  did  we  drink  tea,  coffee  or  chocolate." 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  this  temperance  move- 
ment began  in  Preston,  where  later  was  first  proclaimed 
in  Britain  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel  Very  fitting 
and  appropriate,  and  quite  in  keeping  with  our  theme,  that 
the  lesser  movement  should  thus  precede  the  greater,  and 
from  the  same  starting-point  go  forth  preparing  the  way. 

Herein,  too,  is  sound  Gospel  philosophy.  The  spirit 
of  the  Lord  and  the  demon  of  alcohol  are  essentially 
antagonistic.  That  which  corrupts  the  body  or  darkens 
the  mind,  has  nothing  in  common  with  Mormonism. 


1 66  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

The  Holy  Ghost  dwelleth  not  in  unclean  tabernacles. 
To  be  ready  for  the  reception  of  that  spirit  which  maketh 
manifest  the  things  of  God,  and  retain  its  light  within  the 
lamp  of  the  soul,  the  heart  must  be  pure,  the  mind 
unclouded,  the  body  clean  and  undefined. 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  September,  1837,  the  Saints 
in  Preston  commenced  holding  meetings  in  what  was 
known  as  the  "Cock  Pit."  It  was  a  large  and  commo- 
dious place,  capable  of  seating  eight  hundred  persons, 
and  situated  in  the  center  of  the  town.  It  had  formerly 
been  used  by  the  sporting  fraternity  for  the  purpose 
indicated  by  its  name,  but  recently  had  been  converted 
into  a  temperance  hall.  Says  Heber,  describing  this 
unique,  historic  edifice : 

"The  space  for  cock-fighting  was  an  area  of  about 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  the  center,  around  which  the 
seats  formed  a  circle,  each  seat  rising  about  a  foot  above 
another,  till  they  reached  the  walls  of  the  building. 
When  we  leased  it  the  area  in  the  center  was  occupied 
by  the  singers,  and  our  pulpit  was  the  place  where  the 
judges  formerly  sat,  who  awarded  the  prizes  at  cock- 
fights. We  had  to  pay  seven  shillings  per  week  for  the 
use  of  it,  and  two  shillings  per  week  for  lighting ;  it  being 
beautifully  lit  up  with  gas.  The  building  was  about 
twenty-five  feet  from  'the  Old  Church,'  probably  the  old- 
est in  Lancashire." 

On  the  6th  of  September  Elder  Kimball  paid  a  visit 
to  the  little  branch  in  Walkerfold,  where  the  Saints  were 
suffering  much  persecution.  Some  had  been  driven  from 
their  homes,  and  otherwise  ill  treated  for  the  cause  of 
Christ,  by  their  own  fathers  and  mothers.  The  sight  of 
Heber's  face  revived  their  sinking  spirits,  and  they  again 
rejoiced  in  the  Lord.  Later  in  the  month  he  again  visited 
the  branch  at  Longridge  and  Walkerfold,  and  found  it 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  167 

prospering.  Several  more  were  added  to  the  Church 
during  his  stay.  He  next  visited  and  preached  at  Barshe 
Lees  and  Ribchester,  baptizing  two  persons  at  the  former 
place,  and  then  returned  to  Preston. 

About  this  time  Heber  wrote  a  letter  to  his  wife,  in 
Kirtland,  giving  some  account  of  his  mission.  In  it  the 
following  passages  occur  : 

'•You  stated  in  your  letter  that  some  of  the  Twelve 
were  coming  to  England  next  spring,  calculating  to  bring 
their  wives  with  them.  This  I  have  no  objections  to,  but 
if  they  do  they  had  better  bring  money  to  support  them. 
They  had  better  take  Brother  Joseph's  advice  and  leave 
their  wives  at  home,  for  if  they  bring  them  here  they  will 
repent  the  day  they  did  so.  I  do  not  wish  to  bring  my 
wife  to  this  country  to  suffer.  If  they  could  see  the 
misery  that  I  do  they  would  not  think  of  such  a  thing. 
The  Savior  says,  4he  that  is  not  willing  to  leave  father 
and  mother,  wife  and  children,  brothers  and  sisters, 
houses  and  lands,  for  my  sake  and  the  Gospel, 
is  not  worthy  of  me.'  We  have  hired  our 
lodgings  since  we  have  been  here  and  bought  our  own 
provisions.  We  eat  but  one  meal  a  day  at  home,  for  the 
brethren  invite  us  to  dinner  and  supper  with  them,  and 
they  frequently  divide  their  last  loaf  with  us.  They  do 
all  in  their  power,  and  I  feel  to  bless  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  There  are  55  baptized  in  Preston,  and  it  is 
as  much  as  they  can  do  to  live,  and  there  are  but  two  or 
three  that  could  lodge  us  over  night  if  they  should  try  ; 
in  fact  there  are  some  that  have  not  a  bed  to  sleep  on 
themselves.  The  Lord  says  'take  no  thought  for  the 
morrow,'  and  this  is  the  way  I  feel  for  the  present.  I 
commit  myself  into  His  hands,  that  I  may  always  be 
ready  to  go  at  His  command.  I  desire  to  be  content 
with  whatsoever  situation  I  am  placed  in. 


1 68  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"I  feel  contented  about  you.  I  know  the  Lord  will 
take  care  of  you,  and  preserve  you  until  I  come  home, 
and  feed  you  and'  clothe  you,  and  the  children.  Give 
me  your  prayers  and  you  shall  have  mine.  Be  faithful, 
my  dear  companion  ;  our  labors  will  soon  be  over,  when 
we  shall  meet  to  part  no  more  forever." 

Thus,  it  appears,  the  work  in  England  was  begin- 
ning to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Church  at  home,  and 
stirring  a  desire  in  the  breasts  of  the  Apostles  to  ''thrust 
in  their  sickles  and  reap  "  where  the  field  was  so  "  white 
unto  the  harvest."  Heber's  practical  advice  about  leav- 
ing their  wives  at  home  while  they  went  forth  in  the  ministry, 
had  its  effect  upon  the  minds  of  the  brethren,  and  the  cus- 
tom has  prevailed  from  that  day  to  this,  almost  uni- 
versally throughout  the  foreign  missions  of  the  Church. 

In  the  meantime  how  fared  it  with  the  brethren  in 
the  north,  Elder  Russell  and  Priest  Snyder,  who  had 
been  sent  with  the  Gospel  into  Cumberland  ? 

"Brother  Snyder  returned  from  the  north  where  he 
had  traveled  in  company  with  Brother  Russell.  He 
stated  that  they  met  with  considerable  opposition  while 
preaching  the  gospel,  that  they  had  baptized  about  thirty, 
and  that  others  were  investigating.  After  spending  a 
few  days  with  us,"  says  Elder  Kimball,  "he  and  brother 
Goodson  took  their  leave  for  America.  Brother 
Goodson  pretended  to  have  business  of  importance 
which  called  him  home.  He  had  over  200  books  of 
Mormon  and  Doctrine  and  Covenants  which  he  refused 
to  let  me  have,  although  I  proffered  to  pay  him  the 
money  for  them  on  my  return  to  America.  He  carried 
them  back,  and  on  arriving  in  Iowa  Territory  he  burned 
them,  at  which  time  he  apostatized  and  left  the  Church. 

"Although  we  were  deprived  of  the  labors  of  Broth- 
ers Goodson  and  Snyder,  the  work  of  the  Lord  continued 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.      KIMBALL.  169 

to  roll  forth  with  great  power,  for  those  of  us  who 
remained  received  greater  strength.  Calls  from  all  quar- 
ters to  come  and  preach  were  constantly  sounding  in  our 
ears,  and  we  labored  night  and  day  to  satisfy  the  people, 
who  manifested  such  a  desire  for  the  truth  as  I  never 
saw  before.  We  had  to  speak  in  small  and  very  crowded 
houses,  and  to  large  assemblies  in  the  open  air.  Con- 
sequently our  lungs  were  often  very  sore,  and  our  bodies 
worn  down  with  fatigue.  Sometimes  I  was  guilty  of 
breaking  the  priestly  rules.  I  pulled  off  my  coat  and 
rolled  up  my  sleeves  and  went  at  my  duty  with  my  whole 
soul,  like  a  man  reaping  and  binding  wheat,  which 
caused  the  hireling  priests  to  be  very  much  surprised. 
They  found  much  fault  with  us,  and  threatened  us  con- 
tinually, because  we  got  all  of  their  best  members.  We 
told  them  all  we  wanted  was  the  wheat;  they  could  keep 
the  rest." 

Next  comes  an  interesting  incident  in  Heber's  min- 
istry, relating  closely  to  one  branch  ol  his  numerous 
family.  Says  he : 

"I  will  mention  a  circumstance  in  relation  to  the 
first  child  born  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  in  Great  Britain,  which  was  on  the  jth  of 
October,  1837,  at  Barshe  Lees.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  James  and  Nancy  Smithies,  formerly  Nancy  Knowles. 
After  she  was  born  her  parents  wanted  to  take  her  to 
the  church  to  be  sprinkled,  or  christened,  as  they  call  it. 
I  used  every  kind  of  persuasion  to  convince  them  of 
their  folly ;  it  being  contrary  to  the  scriptures  and  the 
will  of  God;  the  parents  wept  bitterly,  and  it  seemed  as 
though  I  could  not  prevail  on  them  to  omit  it.  I  wanted 
to  know  of  them  why  they  were  so  tenacious.  The 
answer  was,  'if  she  dies  she  cannot  have  a  burial  in  the 
churchyard.'  I  said  to  them,  '  Brother  and  Sister  Smithies, 


I7O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

I  say  unto  you  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God,  she  shall  not 
die  on  this  land,  for  she  shall  live  until  she  becomes  a 
mother  in  Israel,  and  I  say  it  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  by  virtue  of  the  Holy  Priesthood  vested  in  me/ 
That  silenced  them,  and  when  she  was  two  weeks  old 
they  presented  the  child  to  me ;  I  took  it  in  my  arms  and 
blessed  it,  that  it  should  live  to  become  a  mother  in 
Israel.  She  was  the  first  child  blessed  in  that  country, 
and  the  first  born  unto  them." 

The  child's  name  was  Mary  Smithies.  She  grew 
to  womanhood,  emigrating  with  her  parents  to  America, 
and  became  Heber's  wife,  and  the  mother  of  five  of  his 
children. 

Apostle  Kimball  next  took  a  tour  through  some  vil- 
lages south  of  Preston,  in  company  with  Brother  Francis 
Moon.  The  people  "flocked  in  crowds"  to  hear  him. 
At  Longridge  five  preachers  were  among  the  large  con- 
gregation of  interested  listeners.  At  Eccleston  he  had 
the  privilege — a  rare  one — of  preaching  in  a  Methodist 
chapel.  During  this  journey  he  baptized  ten  persons, 
two  of  whom  were  Methodist  preachers. 

By  this  time  the  Church  in  Preston  had  become 
numerous,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  organize  them 
into  five  branches,  which  was  accordingly  done  on  the  8th 
of  October.  Priests  and  Teachers  were  ordained  to  take 
charge  of  the  branches.  Thursday  evenings  were  set 
apart  for  prayer  meetings  in  various  places,  and  on  the 
Sabbath  the  whole  body  assembled  at  the  main  hall  to 
partake  of  the  sacrament,  and  receive  general  instruc- 
tions. The  greatest  harmony  and  love  prevailed,  and 
"as  little  children"  the  Saints  rejoiced  in  doing  the  will 
of  God.  Heber  spent  the  principal  part  of  his  time  in 
the  country,  "leaving  Preston  Monday  mornings,  and 
returning  on  Saturday  evenings." 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

HEBER   WRITES   TO   WILLARD    IN    BEDFORD THE    ELDERS 

BECOME    LICENSED     PREACHERS THE    "MILK"    AND 

"MEAT  OF  THE  WORD  "• —RAPID  SPREAD  OF  THE  WORK 
— MIRACLES — HEBER'S  DREAM  OF  THE  BULL  AND  FIELD 
OF  GRAIN A  DISAPPOINTED  MOB. 

FEELING  some  anxiety  about  the  work  in  Bedford, 
where  Elder  Richards  was  still  laboring,  Heber  wrote  to 
him  as  follows : 

"PRESTON,   OCT.    i2th,    1837. 
"Dear  Brother  Richards: 

"With  pleasure  I  take  my  pen  in  hand  to  let 
you  know  that  I  have  not  forgotten  you.  Brother  Hyde 
and  myself  have  labored  all  the  time,  night  and  day,  so 
that  we  have  not  had  much  time  to  sleep.  There  are 
calls  on  the  right  and  left.  In  Preston  there  are  about 
one  hundred  and  sixty  members.  At  Walkerfold  I  have 
built  up  one  branch ;  one  in  Barshe  Lees,  in  Yorkshire ; 
one  in  Ribchester;  one  in  Penwortham,  and  one  in 
Thornley.  We  have  built  up  those  branches  besides 
laboring  in  Preston  nearly  all  the  time  ;  so  you  can  judge 
whether  or  no  we  have  been  idle.  There  are  ten  calls 
where  we  can  only  fill  one.  Have  had  a  very  bad  cold 
on  my  lungs,  so  that  I  have  had  to  hold  up  for  a  few 
days,  to  recruit  my  health.  Our  congregations  have 
been  so  large  that  our  lungs  have  failed  to  make  all 
the  people  hear.  Brother  Fielding  has  been  with  me 
part  of  the  time ;  he  has  not  preached  much,  but  has 
baptized,  and  visited  from  house  to  house. 

"The  harvest  is  ripe  and  many  are  thirsting  for  the 
word  of  life.  May  God  give  you  energy  to  go  forth  in 
His  name,  and  cry  aloud  and  spare  not;  and  I  say  unto 
you,  Brother  Richards,  if  you  stay  in  that  place  much 


1/2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

longer  there  will  contentions  arise,  until  the  little  branch 
will  be  broken  up  and  scattered  to  the  four  winds.  And 
I  say  this  in  the  name  of  the  Lord :  go  forth  into  the 
country  without  purse  or  scrip,  as  God  has  commanded, 
and  if  you  should  leave  the  branch  two  or  three  weeks 
the  Saints  will  take  no  harm,  and  the  Lord  will  bless  you 
in  so  doing.  Go  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  ;  cry  repentance, 
and  let  the  big  things  alone ;  for  this  is  the  way  that  the 
hearts  of  the  people  are  closed  up  in  Bedford,  by 
Elder  Goodson  preaching  those  things  he  was  com- 
manded to  let  alone.  I  have  scarcely  meddled  with  the 
prophecies ;  I  have  only  preached  the  first  principles  of 
the  Gospel  to  the  people,  doing  the  same  that  I  teach 
you  to  do.  The  churches  in  the  country  I  stay  with  a 
few  days,  and  then  leave  them  two  or  three  weeks ;  they 
are  praising  the  Lord  and  are  glad  to  see  me  when  I 
visit  them. 

''Brother  Richards,  I  am  not  forgetful  of  your  kind- 
ness to  me  and  the  brethren  while  with  us ;  but  I  have  a 
godly  jealousy  over  you  for  your  welfare  and  prosperity 
in  the  cause  of  Christ. 

"HEBER  C.   KIMBALL." 

Willard,  it  appears,  had  been  praying  to  receive  the 
mind  and  will  of  the  Lord  through  his  brethren,  the 
Apostles,  to  direct  him  in  his  labors.  His  prayer  being 
answered,  he  went  forth  with  renewed  energy,  preach- 
ing and  baptizing,  laboring  diligently  and  with  success, 
until  March,  1838,  when  he  returned  to  Preston. 

Heber  continues:  "The  effect  of  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  now  began  to  be  apparent,  not  only  in  the 
hearts  of  believers,  but  likewise  in  the  hearts  of  those 
who  rejected  it.  Our  meeting  in  Preston  being  disturbed 
by  the  Methodist  ministers,  we  got  our  hall  licensed,  and 
two  gentlemen  named  Joseph  Brown  and  Arthur 
Burrows,  who  were  policemen,  proffered  their  services  to 
preserve  the  peace,  and  protect  us  from  any  further  dis- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  173 

turbance  ;  which  they  continued  to  do  as  long  as  we 
stayed  in  that  land.  Many  began  to  persecute  us  for 
preaching  without  a  license  from  the  authority  of  the 
nation.  This  idea  of  obtaining  a  license  from  the  secular 
authority  was  somewhat  novel  to  us  ;  but  after  consult- 
ing our  friends,  amongst  whom  was  Mr.  John  Richards' 
son,  an  attorney  practising  in  Preston,  we  found  it  was 
according  to  the  laws  of  England.  Brothers  Hyde  and  I 
therefore  made  application  to  the  Quarter  Sessions  and 
obtained  licenses,  by  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Richards  ;  and 
for  which  service  he  refused  compensation. 
"The  following  is  a  copy  of  my  license : 

"  'LANCASHIRE  ( 

)  This  is  to  certify  that  at  the  General 

Quarter  Sessions  of  the  Peace,  held  by  adjournment  at 
Preston  in  and  for  said  county,  the  eighteenth  day  of 
October,  in  the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  Her  Majesty, 
Queen  Victoria,  Heber  Chase  Kimball  came  before  the 
justices  present,  and  did  then  and  there  in  open  court, 
take  the  oaths  appointed  to  be  taken,  instead  of  the  oaths 
of  allegiance  and  supremacy  ;  and  also  the  abjurgation 
oath ;  and  subscribed  his  name  thereto,  pursuant  to  the 
several  laws  in  that  behalf  made  and  provided. 

"'E.  GORST, 

'"Deputy  Clerk  of  the  Peace  in  and 
for  said  county.' 

"  Having  now  obeyed  the  requisitions  of  the  law, 
we  felt  ourselves  tolerably  secure,  knowing  that  our 
enemies  could  not  lawfully  harm  us.  I  wrote  to  Brother 
Richards  that  I  had  taken  the  oath  to  be  true  to  Her 
Majesty  and  see  that  the  laws  were  executed,  also  the 
abjurgation  oath  provided  for  foreigners  who  were  not 
naturalized,  and  obtained  a  license  as  a  preacher  of  the 
Gospel  ;  and  recommended  him  to  clo  the  same  at  Bed- 


174  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

ford  :  but  they  made  him  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
before  they  granted  him  his  license  to  preach.  After  we 
had  obtained  our  licenses,  to  our  surprise  we  found 
there  were  only  a  few  licensed  preachers  in  Preston  ; 
and  when  they  abused  me  I  told  them  if  they  did  not  cease 
their  abuse  I  would  see  the  laws  put  in  force  according 
to  the  oaths  I  had  taken  ;  and  this  generally  silenced 
them. 

''Although  we  had  many  persecutors  who  would 
have  rejoiced  at  our  destruction,  and  who  felt  determined 
to  overthrow  the  work  of  the  Lord,  yet  there  were  many 
who  were  friendly,  who  would  have  stood  by  us  under 
all  circumstances,  and  would  not  have  been  afraid  to 
hazard  their  lives  in  our  behalf.  The  church  in  Preston 
now  numbered  two  or  three  hundred  souls,  with  more 
being  added  continually. 

"November  izj-th,  I  wrote  to  Willard  Richards, 
exhorting  him  to  teach  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel 
only  ;  telling  him  that  if  the  people  would  not  receive 
them  they  would  not  receive  anything  else  ;  the  more 
simple  he  could  be,  the  better  it  would  be  for  his  hearers, 
Brother  Goodson  having  left  about  20  Books  of  Mormon 
•in  his  possession,  I  told  him  to  sell  all  that  he  could, 
either  to  saint  or  sinner  ;  to  get  him  some  clothes,  and 
to  make  himself  warm  and  comfortable." 

The  wisdom  of  the  Apostle's  counsel  to  give  first 
the  "milk  of  the  word"  to  those  who  were  infants  in 
faith,  reserving  the  ' '  meat' '  for  such  as  became  strong,  is  self- 
evident.  No  vessel  can  contain  beyond  its  capacity. 
Food,  in  kind  and  quantity,  must  ever  keep  pace  with  the 
growth,  and  be  suited  to  the  condition  of  the  one  to 
whom  it  is  administered. 

It  is  human  nature  to  oppose  that  which  is  new. 
The  pride  of  man  revolts  at  the  idea  of  admitting  himself 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  175 

in  error,  and  his  preconceived  notions  to  be  false,  or  even 
defective.  The  flesh,  naturally  inert,  dislikes  change  that 
brings  toil  and  study,  even  for  the  soul's  salvation.  Self- 
interest  pleads  in  various  ways,  in  favor  of  the  old,  and 
against  the  new.  Thus  hoary  tradition,  antique 
error,  sits  warmed  and  comforted,  a  welcome  guest,  alike 
in  palace  and  in  hovel,  while  Truth,  a  pilgrim,  hungry 
and  cold,  without  stands  shivering  in  the  frosty  air. 

All  truth  may  be  new  to  the  ignorant,  though  old  as 
eternity  to  the  Gods,  and  whom  the  Gods  make  wise. 
Much  that  is  true,  is  not  expedient.  The  Prophet  Joseph 
could  not  tell  all  he  knew,  even  to  the  Elders  ;  nor  the  Eld- 
ers all  they  knew  to  the  people,  Paul,  caught  up  unto 
''the  third  heaven;"  Joseph,  unto  "the  seventh  heaven," 
saw  and  heard  things  unspeakable,  things  "unlawful  to 
be  uttered."  The  mysteries  of  God's  kingdom  are  not 
for  the  world,  nor  for  novices  in  the  faith  until  it  is  wis- 
dom in  the  Lord,  "lest  they  perish." 

The  effect  of  Elder  Goodson's  folly  in  reading  to 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Matthews  the  vision  of  the  triple 
glories,  when  his  mind  was  just  beginning  to  grasp  the 
Gospel's  first  principles — sufficiently  novel  and  far 
enough  advanced  to  test  his  neophyte  faith  to  the  utmost 
—is  only  one  of  many  like  instances  in  Mormon  mission- 
ary experience.  Prudence  demands  that  truth  be  incul- 
cated by  gradual  degrees.  "Cry  nothing  but  repentance 
to  this  generation,"  is  a  word  of  supreme  wisdom  to  the 
Lord's  servants,  laboring  in  His  vineyard  among  the  ten- 
der vines  and  fragile  flowers  of  humanity.  Eagles  build 
their  nests  in  strong  and  high  places.  Truth  is  loftier 
and  mightier  than  many  eagles. 

The  Apostle's  record  continues: 

"Having  an  appointment  to  preach  in  the  village  of 
Wrightington,  while  on  the  way  I  stopped  at  the  houses 


176  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.      KIMBALL. 

of  Brothers  Francis  Moon  and  Amos  Fielding,  when  I 
was  informed  that  the  family  of  Matthias  Moon  had  sent 
a  request  for  me  to  visit  them,  that  they  might  have  the 
privilege  of  conversing  with  me  on  the  subject  of  the 
Gospel.  Accordingly  Brother  Amos  Fielding  and  I  paid 
them  a  visit  that  evening.  We  were  very  kindly  received 
by  the  family,  and  had  considerable  conversation  on  the 
subject  of  my  mission  to  England,  and  the  great  work 
of  the  Lord  in  the  last  days.  They  listened  with  atten- 
tion to  my  statements,  but  at  the  same  time  they  appeared 
to  be  prejudiced  against  them.  We  remained  in  conver- 
sation until  a  late  hour,  and  then  returned  home.  On 
our  way  Brother  Fielding  observed  that  he  thought  our 
visit  had  been  in  vain,  as  the  family  seemed  to  have  con- 
siderable prejudice.  I  answered,  'be  not  faithless  but 
believing ;  we  shall  yet  see  great  effects  from  this  visit, 
for  I  know  that  some  of  the  family  have  received  the 
testimony,  and  will  shortly  manifest  the  same ; '  at  which 
remark  he  seemed  surprised. 

''The  next  morning  I  continued  my  journey  to 
Wrightington  and  Hunter's  Hill.  After  spending  two 
or  three  days  in  that  vicinity  preaching,  I  baptized  seven 
of  the  family  of  Benson,  and  others,  and  organized  a 
branch. 

"I  returned  by  the  way  of  Brother  Fielding's,  with 
whom  I  again  tarried  for  the  night.  The  next  morning 
I  started  for  Preston,  but  when  I  got  opposite  the  lane 
leading  to  Mr.  Moon's,  I  was  forcibly  led  by  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  to  call  and  see  them  again.  I  therefore  directed 
my  steps  to  the  house.  On  my  arrival  I  knocked  at  the 
door.  Mrs.  Moon  exclaimed,  'come  in  !  come  in!  You 
are  welcome  here !  I  and  the  lassies  (meaning  her 
daughters)  have  just  been  calling  on  the  Lord,  and  pray- 
ing that  He  would  send  you  this  way.'  She  then 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  177 

informed  me  of  her  state  of  mind  since  I  was  there,  and 
said  she  at  first  rejected  my  testimony,  and  endeavored 
to  think  lightly  on  the  things  I  had  advanced,  but  on  try- 
ing to  pray,  the  heavens  seemed  to  be  like  brass  over 
her  head,  and  it  was  like  iron  under  her  feet.  She  did 
not  know  what  was  the  matter,  saying,  'certainly  the  man 
has  not  bewitched  me  has  he?'  and  upon  inquiring  she 
found  it  was  the  same  with  the  lassies.  They  then  began 
to  reflect  on  the  things  I  told  them,  and  thinking  it  possi- 
ble that  I  had  told  them  the  truth,  they  resolved  to  lay 
the  case  before  the  Lord,  and  beseech  Him  to  give  them 
a  testimony  concerning  the  things  I  had  testified  of.  She 
then  observed  that  as  soon  as  they  did  so  light  broke  in 
upon  their  minds ;  they  were  convinced  that  I  was  a 
messenger  of  salvation  ;  that  it  was  the  work  of  the  Lord, 
and  they  had  resolved  to  obey  the  Gospel.  That  evening 
I  baptized  Mr.  Moon  and  his  wife,  and  four  of  their 
daughters. 

"The  same  night  I  went  to  Leyland,  and  stayed  with 
Francis  Moon,  and  the  next  morning  I  went  to  Preston 
where  I  stayed  about  three  weeks  with  Brother  Hyde. 

"During  this  time  our  enemies  were  not  idle;  they 
heaped  abuse  upon  us  with  an  unsparing  hand  and  issued 
torrents  of  lies  concerning  us,  which  I  am  thankful  to 
say  did  not  injure  us.  Among  those  most  active  in  pub- 
lishing falsehoods  against  us  and  the  truth  were  many  of 
the  clergy,  who  were  afraid  to  meet  us  face  to  face  in 
honorable  debate,  although  particularly  requested  so  to 
do.  We,  only  asked  three  clays'  notice  of  the  time  of 
discussion,  so  as  to  notify  the  people.  But  they  sought 
every  opportunity  to  try  to  destroy  our  characters,  and 
propagate  their  lies  concerning  us,  thus  showing  that 
they  loved  darkness  rather  than  light.  We  frequently 
called  upon  the  ministers  of  various  denominations,  who 


12 


178  LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL. 

had  taken  a  stand  against  us,  to  come  forward  and  inves- 
tigate our  religion  before  the  world,  in  an  honorable 
manner,  and  bring  forth  their  strong  reasons  to  disprove 
the  things  we  taught,  and  convince  the  people  by  sound 
argument  and  the  word  of  God,  if  they  could,  that  we 
did  not  preach  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  they 
declined.  They  kept  at  a  respectful  distance,  and  only 
came  out  when  they  knew  we  were  absent,  with  misrep- 
resentations and  abuse.  It  is  true  we  suffered  some 
from  the  statements  which  they  thought  proper  to  make, 
when  we  could  not  get  an  opportunity  to  contradict 
them ;  but  generally  their  reports  were  of  such  a  charac- 
ter as  carried  their  own  refutation  with  them. 

'T  visited  Mr.  Moon  again,  and  baptized  the  remain- 
der of  his  family,  consisting  of  thirteen  souls,  the  young- 
est of  whom  was  over  twenty  years  of  age.  They 
received  the  Gospel  as  little  children,  and  rejoiced 
exceedingly  in  its  blessings.  The  sons  were  very  good 
musicians,  and  the  daughters  excellent  singers.  When 
they  united  their  instruments  and  voices  in  the  songs  of 
Zion,  the  effect  was  truly  transporting. 

"Before  I  left  England  there  were  about  thirty  of 
that  family  and  connections  baptized,  five  of  whom, 
Hugh,  John,  Francis,  William  and  Thomas  Moon,  were 
ordained  to  be  fellow  laborers  with  us  in  the  vineyard, 
and  I  left  them  rejoicing  in  the  truths  they  had  embraced. 

"In  all  my  labors  I  was  greatly  assisted  by  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord,  and  my  soul  was  comforted  exceedingly; 
for  the  sick  were  healed,  the  lame  walked,  and  in  several 
cases  where  persons  had  lain  upon  their  beds  in  a  con- 
sumptive state  for  many  years  and  were  not  able  to  sit 
up,  they  would  be  taken  in  a  carriage,  perhaps  a  mile,  to 
the  water,  where  I  baptized,  laid  my  hands  upon  them 
and  confirmed  them,  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy 


LIFE    OF    IIEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  179 

Ghost,  and  rebuked  their  disease  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  said  unto  them  'be  thou  made  whole,'  and 
they  would  leap  and  shout  glory  to  God,  and  begin  to 
mend  from  that  hour.  This  was  a  common  occurrence 
on  our  first  mission  to  England.  Many  scores  of  per- 
sons were  healed  by  our  sending  a  handkerchief  to  them. 

"I  was  instrumental  in  building  up  churches  in  the 
following  places,  viz.;  Eccleston,  Wrightington,  Askin, 
Dauber's  Lane,  Plxton,  Chorley,  Whittle,  Hunter's  Hill, 
and  Leyland  Moss,  after  laboring  about  four  weeks,  and 
baptizing  in  the  neighborhood  of  two  hundred  persons, 
which  caused  me  to  rejoice  that  I  had  not  labored  in  vain. 
More  loving  and  affectionate  Saints  I  never  saw  before ; 
they  were  patterns  of  humility.  All  the  above  villages  are 
within  a  short  distance  of  each  other,  and  near  to  Preston. 

"  After  my  return  from  those  places  I  took  a  tour  to 
the  northeast  of  Preston,  in  company  with  Brother 
Joseph  Fielding,  where  we  labored  a  short  time  with 
considerable  success,  and  raised  up  churches  in  Ribches- 
ter,  Thornley,  Stoney  Gate  Lane,  and  at  Clithero,  a 
market  town  containing  several  thousand  inhabitants. 
At  Clithero  I  baptized  a  preacher  named  Thomas  Smith 
and  six  members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  immediately 
after  I  had  preached  the  first  time. 

"One  night  while  at  the  village  of  Ribchester  I 
dreamed  that  in  company  with  another  person  I  was 
walking,  and  we  saw  a  very  extensive  field  of  wheat; 
more  so  than  the  eye  could  reach ;  such  a  sight  I  had 
never  witnessed.  The  wheat  appeared  perfectly  ripe 
and  ready  for  harvest.  I  was  very  much  rejoiced  at  the 
glorious  sight  which  presented  itself;  but  judge  of  my 
surprise,  when  on  taking  some  of  the  ears  and  rubbing 
them  in  my  hands,  I  found  nothing  but  smut ;  not  any 
sound  grain  could  I  find.  I  marveled  exceedingly  and 


l8o  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

felt  very  sorrowful,  and  exclaimed  'what  will  the  people 
do  for  grain !  Here  is  a  great  appearance  of  plenty,  but 
there  is  no  sound  wheat.' 

"While  contemplating  the  scenery,  I  looked  in 
another  direction,  and  saw  a  small  field  in  the  form  of 
the  letter  L,  which  had  the  appearance  of  something 
growing  in  it.  I  immediately  directed  my  steps  to  it, 
and  found  that  it  had  been  sown  with  wheat,  some  of 
which  had  grown  up  six  inches  high,  other  parts  of  the 
field  not  quite  so  high,  and  some  had  just  sprouted. 
This  gave  me  some  encouragement  to  expect  that  at  the 
harvest  there  would  be  some  good  grain.  While  thus 
engaged,  a  large  bull,  looking  very  fierce  and  angry, 
leaped  over  the  fence,  ran  through  the  field,  and  stamped 
down  a  large  quantity  of  that  which  had  just  sprouted, 
and  after  doing  considerable  injury  he  leaped  over  the 
fence  and  ran  away.  I  felt  very  much  grieved  that  so 
much  wheat  should  be  destroyed  when  there  was  such  a 
prospect  of  scarcity. 

"When  I  awoke  next  morning  the  interpretation 
was  given  me.  The  large  field  with  the  great  appear- 
ance of  grain,  so  beautiful  to  look  upon,  represented  the 
nation  in  which  I  then  resided  ;  which  had  a  very  pleas- 
ing appearance  and  a  good  show  of  religion  ;  which  made 
great  pretensions  to  piety  and  goodness,  and  conse- 
quently of  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit.  The  small  field  I  saw, 
clearly  represented  the  region  of  country  where  I  was 
laboring,  and  where  the  word  of  truth  had  taken  root, 
which  was  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  L,  and  it  was  grow- 
ing in  the  hearts  of  those  who  had  the  gospel,  some 
places  having  grown  a  little  more  than  others.  The 
village  I  was  in  was  that  part  of  the  field  where  the  bull 
did  so  much  injury  ;  for  during  my  short  visit  there,  most 
of  the  inhabitants  were  believing,  but  as  soon  as  I 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  l8l 

departed,  a  clergyman  belonging  to  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land came  out  and  violently  attacked  the  truth,  made  a 
considerable  noise,  crying,  "False  Prophet !  Delusion  !" 
and  after  trampling  on  truth  and  doing  all  the  mischief 
he  could  before  I  returned,  he  took  shelter  in  his  pulpit. 
"  However  he  did  not  destroy  all  the  seed,  for  after 
my  return  I  was  instrumental  in  building  up  a  branch  in 
Ribchester.  A  mob  of  Catholics  had  combined,  that 
when  I  went  to  baptize  any  persons  they  would  pelt  me 
with  stones.  I  made  arrangements  with  each  of  the  can- 
didates to  go  singly  to  the  place  of  baptism,  and  about 
the  time  the  last  one  got  there  I  started  quickly,  got  to 
the  place  and  baptized  them  all.  As  I  was  baptizing  the 
last  one  the  mob  came  up  and  were  disappointed  in  their 
vengeance,  for  I  came  out  of  the  water,  and  they  did  not 
know  how  many  I  had  baptized." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE     VOICE     OF     THE     GOOD     SHEPHERD HEBER     CONVERTS 

WHOLE    VILLAGES THE    SPIRIT    OF     THE    MASTER    UPON 

HIS        SERVANT THE        CHRISTMAS        CONFERENCE        IN 

PRESTON. 

"  MY  sheep  know  my  voice,  and  a  stranger  they 
will  not  follow."  So  said  the  Shepherd  of  Israel. 

The  test  is  true  in  all  time.  How  many  in  these 
latter  days  bear  witness,  that,  until  Mormonism  came, 
they  had  no  religion,  and  desired  none,  but  were 
instantly  converted  on  first  hearing  it  proclaimed.  Again, 


1 82  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

how  many  wandered  in  quest  of  it,  from  church  to 
church,  from  creed  to  creed,  scarce  knowing  what  they 
sought,  yet  conscious  of  "an  aching  void"  which  nothing 
else  could  fill,  and  only  happy  when  at  last  it  was 
supplied. 

"My  sheep  know  my  voice,  and  a  stranger  they 
will  not  follow." 

A  remarkable  instance  of  this  truth  now  occurred  in 
Heber's  ministry.  Says  he: 

"  Having  mentioned  my  intention  of  going  to  Down- 
ham  and  Chatburn,  to  several  of  the  brethren,  they 
endeavoured  to  dissuade  me  from  going,  informing  me 
there  could  be  no  prospect  of  success  whatever,  as 
several  ministers  of  different  denominations  had 
endeavored  in  vain  to  raise  churches  in  these  places,  and 
had  frequently  preached  to  them,  but  to  no  effect,  as  they 
had  resisted  all  the  efforts  and  withstood  the  attempts  of 
all  sects  and  parties  for  the  last  thirty  years,  who,  seeing 
all  their  attempts  fail,  had  given  them  up  to  hardness  of 
heart.  I  was  also  informed  they  were  very  wicked  places. 
However  this  did  not  discourage  me,  believing  that  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  could  reach  the  heart,  when  the 
gospels  of  men  proved  abortive  ;  I  consequently  told 
those  brethren  that  these  were  the  places  I  wanted 
to  go  to,  for  that  it  was  my  business  not  to  call  the 
righteous  but  sinners  to  repentance. 

"The  next  day  we  received  a  very  pressing  invita- 
tion to  preach  in  Chatburn,  but  having  given  out  an 
appointment  to  preach  in  Clithero  that  evening,  I 
informed  them  that  I  would  not  be  able  to  comply  with 
their  request  that  night  ;  this  did  not  satisfy  them,  they 
continued  to  solicit  me  with  the  greatest  importunity, 
until  I  was  obliged  to  consent  to  remain  with  them,  and 

o 

requested  Elder  Fielding  to  attend  to  the  appointment  at 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  183 

Clithero ;  there  was  a  feeling  of  reluctance  on  his  part  to 
go,  as  he  feared  the  rabble  might  break  up  his  meeting ; 
but  seeing  the  importunity  of  the  people  that  I  should 
stay  with  them  in  Chatburn,  he  consented  to  go  to 
Clithero  alone.  As  he  feared  it  might  be,  so  it  was  ;  his 
meeting  was  broken  up. 

"In  Chatburn  I  was  cordially  received  by  the  inhab- 
itants, who  turned  out  in  great  numbers  to  hear  me 
preach.  They  procured  a  large  tithing  barn,  placing  a 
barrel  in  the  center,  upon  which  I  stood.  I  preached  to 
them  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel,  spoke  in  simplic- 
ity upon  the  principles  revealed  by  our  Lord  and  Savior 
Jesus  Christ,  the  conditions  of  pardon  for  a  fallen  world 
and  the  blessings  and  privileges  of  those  who  embraced 
the  truth;  I  likewise  said  a  little  on  the  subject  of  the 
resurrection.  My  testimony  was  accompanied  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  was  received  with  joy,  and  these 
people  who  had  been  represented  as  being  hard  and 
obdurate,  were  melted  into  tenderness  and  love.  I  told 
them  that,  being  a  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I 
stood  ready  at  all  times  to  administer  the  ordinances  of 
the  Gospel,  and  explained  what  was  necessary  to  prepare 
them  for  baptism ;  that  when  they  felt  to  repent  of  and 
forsake  their  sins,  they  were  ready  to  be  baptized  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  like  the  jailor  and  his  household,  and 
Cornelius  and  his  house.  When  I  concluded  I  felt  some- 
one pulling  at  my  coat,  exclaiming,  'Maister,  Maister,' 
I  turned  round  and  asked  what  was  wanted.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Partington  said,  '  Please  sir,  will  you  baptize 
me?'  'And  me?'  'And  me?'  exclaimed  more  than  a 
dozen  voices.  Accordingly  I  went  down  into  the  water 
and  baptized  twenty-five.  I  was  engaged  in  this  duty, 
and  confirming  them  and  conversing  with  the  people 
until  after  midnight. 


184  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"The  next  morning  I  returned  to  Downham,  and 
baptized  between  twenty-five  and  thirty  in  the  course  of 
the  day. 

"The  next  evening  I  returned  to  Chatburn.  The 
congregation  was  so  numerous  that  I  had  to  preach  in 
the  open  air,  and  took  my  stand  on  a  stone  wall,  and 
afterwards  baptized  several.  These  villages  seemed  to 
be  affected  from  one  end  to  the  other ;  parents  called 
their  children  together,  spoke  to  them  on  the  subjects 
which  I  had  preached  about,  and  warned  them  against 
swearing  and  all  other  evil  practices,  and  instructed  them 
in  their  duty. 

"  We  were  absent  from  Preston  five  days,  during 
which  time  Brother  Fielding  and  I  baptized  and  confirmed 
about  no  persons;  organized  branches  in  Downham, 
Chatburn,  Waddington  and  Clithero ;  and  ordained  sev- 
eral to  the  lesser  Priesthood,  to  preside.  This  was  the 
first  time  the  people  in  those  villages  ever  heard  our 
voices,  or  saw  an  American. 

"I  cannot  refrain  from  relating  an  occurrence  which 
took  place  while  Brother  Fielding  and  myself  were  pass- 
ing through  the  village  of  Chatburn  on  our  way  to  Down- 
ham:  having  been  observed  approaching  the  village,  the 
news  ran  from  house  to  house,  and  immediately  the  noise 
of  their  looms  was  hushed,  and  the  people  flocked  to 
their  doors  to  welcome  us  and  see  us  pass.  More  than 
forty  young  people  of  the  place  ran  to  meet  us ;  some 
took  hold  of  our  mantles  and  then  of  each  others'  hands ; 
several  having  hold  of  hands  went  before  us  singing  the 
songs  of  Zion,  while  their  parents  gazed  upon  the  scene 
with  delight,  and  poured  their  blessings  upon  our  heads, 
and  praised  the  God  of  heaven  for  sending  us  to  unfold 
the  principles  of  truth  and  the  plan  of  salvation  to  them. 
The  children  continued  with  us  to  Downham,  a  mile  dis- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  185 

tant.  Such  a  scene,  and  such  gratitude,  I  never  witnessed 
before.  'Surely,'  my  heart  exclaimed,  'out  of  the  mouths 
of  babes  and  sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise.' 
What  could  have  been  more  pleasing  and  delightful  than 
such  a  manifestation  of  gratitude  to  Almighty  God ;  and 
from  those  whose  hearts  were  deemed  too  hard  to  be 
penetrated  by  the  Gospel,  and  who  had  been  considered 
the  most  wicked  and  hardened  people  in  that  region  of 
country." 

A  rare  scene,  indeed,  and  a  suggestive  one,  for  the 
parallel  of  which  the  mind  must  leap  backward  nigh  two 
thousand  years : 

"On  the  next  day,  much  people  that  were  come  to 
the  feast,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to 
Jerusalem, 

"Took  branches  of  palm  trees,  and  went  forth  to 
meet  him,  and  cried,  Hosanna ;  Blessed  is  the  King  of 
Israel  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

"The  Pharisees  therefore  said  among  themselves, 
Perceive  ye  how  ye  prevail  nothing?  behold,  the  world 
is  gone  after  him." 

So  was  it  with  this  servant  of  Christ,  this  brother 
of  Jesus  in  the  British  Isles.  The  hireling  priests,  the 
pharisees  of  Christendom,  prevailed  nothing.  The 
"world  went  after  him,"  whole  villages  at  a  sweep,  sing- 
ing praises,  and  shouting  in  tones  of  rapture:  "Blessed 
is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

There  was  divine  harmony  in  all  this.  In  Heber, 
his  character,  manner  and  methods — we  say  it  reverently 
— there  was  much  of  the  Christ ;  the  micrht  of  the  lion, 

o 

with  the  meekness  of  the  lamb.  His,  also,  was  the 
Savior's  lineage  ;  in  his  heart  a  kindred  spirit,  in  his  veins 
the  self-same  blood.  Where  causes  are  similar,  should 
there  not  spring  similar  results  ? 


1 86  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

And  is  it  not  truly  a  Christ-like  sentiment,  with 
which  he  concludes  his  description  of  that  wonderful 
scene: 

(Tn  comparison  to  the  joy  I  then  experienced,  the 
grandeur,  pomp  and  glory  of  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
shrank  into  insignificance,  and  appeared  as  dross,  and  all 
the  honor  of  man  aside  from  the  Gospel  as  vanity.  The 
prayer  of  my  heart  was,  '  O  Lord  do  thou  bless  this  peo- 
ple, save  them  from  sin,  and  prepare  them  for  Thy  celes- 
tial kingdom,  and  that  Thy  servant  may  meet  them  round 
Thy  throne;  and  grant,  O  Lord,  that  I  may  continue  to 
preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  which  shall  cause  the  hearts 
of  the  poor  to  rejoice,  and  the  meek  to  increase  their  joy 
in  the  Lord ;  which  shall  comfort  the  hearts  of  the  wid- 
ows and  cheer  the  soul  of  the  orphan ;  and  that  I  may 
be  an  instrument  in  Thy  hands  of  bringing  them  to  Zion, 
that  they  may  behold  Thy  glory  and  be  prepared  to  meet 
the  Savior  when  He  shall  descend  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven." 

On  Christmas  a  special  conference  was  held  in 
Preston  by  the  Apostles.  About  three  hundred  of  the 
Saints  assembled,  delegates  being  present  from  the 
various  branches  in  and  around  Preston,  extending  some 
thirty  miles.  Joseph  Fielding  was  ordained  an  Elder, 
and  ten  Priests  and  seven  Teachers  were  ordained  and 
set  apart  to  take  charge  of  the  several  branches  where 
they  resided. 

At  this  conference,  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  the  tem- 
perance revelation  of  the  Church,  was  first  publicly 
taught  in  Great  Britain.  The  Elders  had  taught  it  more 
by  example  than  precept  heretofore.  It  became  almost 
universally  observed  among  the  brethren.  In  the  <lCock 
Pit,"  where  this  conference  was  held,  had  first  been  lifted 
the  standard  of  temperance  reform.  It  was  the  motto 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  1 87 

on  one  of  the  banners  of  this  movement,  "Truth  will 
Prevail,"  which  greeted  the  Elders  so  opportunely,  as  an 
omen  of  success  now  verified,  on  their  arrival  in  Preston 
from  Liverpool,  five  months  before.  Says  Apostle  Kim- 
ball: 

"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  was  with  us;  and  truly  the 
hearts  of  the  Elders  were  rejoiced  beyond  measure  when 
we  contemplated  the  glorious  work  which  had  been  done, 
and  we  had  to  exclaim,  'Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
who  has  crowned  our  labors  with  such  success!'  Dur- 
ing the  conference  we  confirmed  fourteen  members  and 
blessed  about  one  hundred  children." 

One  hundred  little  children  blessed  in  Preston, 
Christmas,  1837  ! 

A  beautiful  and  fitting  celebration  of  that  blessed 
day  of  days,  when  "unto  us  a  Child  was  born"  to  take 
away  the  sins  of  the  world ;  when  God  descended  from 
His  throne  and  took  upon  Him  flesh,  exchanging  crown 
for  cross,  and  sceptred  rule  for  martyrdom,  in  the  cause 
of  man's  redemption.  Shine  out,  ye  blazing  stars,  and 
sun  and  moon  give  forth  your  warmth  and  lustre !  Ye 
cannot  dim  the  glory,  nor  vie  the  matchless  love,  of  Him 
who  set  you  there  to  light  and  cheer,  on,  onward  to 
celestial  heights  the  world  He  died  to  save  ! 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

THE    WORK     OF     GOD     NOT    DEPENDENT    UPON    MAN HUMIL- 
ITY   A    SOURCE     OF      POWER EVERY     MAN    CHOSEN    AND 

FITTED     FOR     HIS     SPHERE EXAMPLE      OF      PAUL     THE 

APOSTLE HEBER     "HITS    THE    ROCK"      IN     LONGTON 

THE     APOSTLES     VISIT     THE     BRANCHES     PRIOR     TO    RE- 
TURNING   TO    AMERICA. 

PREACHING  the  Gospel  and  converting  sinners  unto 
Christ  never  yet  depended  for  success  upon  man's  learn- 
ing or  the  music  of  oratory.  The  unlettered  fishermen 
of  Galilee,  proclaiming  in  simple  words  "Christ  cruci- 
fied," were  far  more  powerful  in  winning  souls  from 
error's  ways  and  melting  the  hearts  of  the  multitude,  than 
would  all  the  orators  have  been ;  the  Herods,  Ciceros,  or 
Demosthenes,  of  Judea,  Greece  and  Rome. 

The  reason  is  not,  as  some  suppose,  that  learning 
and  oratory  are  valueless  in  the  cause  of  Christ,  or  nec- 
essarily a  hindrance,  as  was  Saul's  armor  upon  youthful 
David.  The  example  of  the  eloquent  and  erudite  Paul 
suffices  to  disprove  such  a  fallacy.  The  secret  is  simply 
this :  that  God  had  chosen  those  humble  fishermen,  and 
not  the  learned  orators  of  the  age,  for  that  especial  work, 
and  endowed  them  with  power  from  on  high.  No 
man,  learned  or  unlearned,  can  build  up  God's  Kingdom, 
except  He  be  with  him,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  work  through 
him.  God  is  the  cloer  of  His  work,  not  man,  and  no 
flesh  can  glory  in  His  presence.  It  was  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  Paul,  as  it  was  the  Holy  Ghost  in  Peter,  not  the  learn- 
ing or  illiteracy  of  either,  that  wrought  the  wonders  of 
which  they  were  capable. 


LIFE     OF     IIEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  189 

The  Holy  Ghost  dwells  only  in  hearts  that  are  pure 
and  humble.  Humility,  next  to  virtue,  is  the  one  grand 
requisite  of  a  servant  of  God.  Pride  and  vanity  are 
synonyms  of  weakness ;  humility,  another  name  for 
strength.  Men  of  learning  and  language,  whom  nature 
and  education  have  made  "spokesmen,"  need  not  be  any 
less  humble — though  men  of  little  learning  and  much 
language  are  very  apt  to  be.  Pride,  in  rags  or  in  purple, 
is  the  offspring  of  ignorance  ;  while  learning  is  the  parent 
of  humility. 

The  eloquent  and  learned  man,  humble  and  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  manifestly  more  capable,  in  his 
sphere,  and  more  successful,  than  one  without  his  advan- 
tages would  be.  But  turn  the  tables,  reverse  the  condi- 
tions, and,  in  his  sphere,  the  unlearned  man,  intelligent, 
God-fearing  and  inspired,  looms  a  giant,  where  his  more 
polished  brother  might  seem  a  pigmy  by  comparison. 
The  faculty  of  adapting  self  to  circumstances  is  invalua- 
ble for  the  missionary  to  possess.  In  saying  that  he  was 
"all  things  to  all  men,"  the  brave  and  faithful  Paul  did 
not  brand  himself  a  hypocrite.  Rather,  did  he  not  mean 
he  could  accommodate  himself  to  his  surroundings; 
enter  into  the  feelings  and  sympathies  of  "all  men:"  the 
high,  the  low,  the  rich,  the  poor,  the  learned  and  the  illit- 
erate ;  at  home  in  palace  or  in  hovel ;  feasting  in  gratitude 
at  luxury's  board,  or  sharing  thankfully  the  crust  of  pov- 
erty ;  holding  spell-bound  by  his  oratory  the  charmed 
sages  of  Athens,  or  melting  his  jailor's  heart  with  the 
simple  pathos  of  his  tale. 

Such  was  Paul,  the  eloquent  and  learned  Apostle ;  a 
vessel  formed  and  fashioned,  like  all  others,  for  his  work. 
It  was  his  mission  to  be  "brought  before  Caesar"  ;  the 
mission  of  most  of  his  brethren  to  preach,  like  their 
Master,  "the  Gospel  to  the  poor."  It  will  yet  fall  to  the 


IQO  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

lot  of  God's  servants  to  stand  before  kings  and  rulers, 
as  did  Elijah,  Nathan  and  Daniel  of  old.  But  in  the 
days  of  Heber,  of  Joseph,  and  of  Brigham,  the  Gospel 
was  chiefly  to  the  poor  and  humble,  who  received  it 
gladly  and  rejoiced  in  the  God  of  their  salvation. 
Returning  now  to  the  Apostles  in  Preston  : 
4 'Immediately  after  the  conference,"  wrote  Heber, 
"  Elder  Hyde  and  I  went  to  a  village  near  the  sea  shore 
called  Longton,  where  we  published  to  the  listening 
crowds  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  Brothers  Hyde 
and  Goodson  had  preached  several  discourses  there, 
and  numbers  were  believing,  but  none  had  been 
baptized.  The  people  asked  Brother  Hyde  why  he  did 
not  'bring  Kimball  down,  to  hit  the  rock  a  crack  with 
his  big  sledge  and  let  the  water  flow  out.'  I  preached 
from  Hebrews  6th  chapter,  ist  verse:  'Therefore  not 
leaving  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us  go 
on  unto  perfection  ;  not  laying  again  the  foundation  of 
repentance  from  dead  works,  and  of  faith  toward  God.' 
I  preached  a  plain  and  simple  discourse,  and  according 
to  my  calling  I  taught  them  to  repent  and  be  baptized, 
that  they  might  be  saved,  and  if  they  did  not  they  would 
be  damned.  Elder  Hyde  bore  testimony.  After  meet- 
ing I  baptized  ten,  and  in  the  morning  after,  several  more. 
It  being  very  cold  weather — the  streams  all  frozen  over — 
we  had  to  repair  to  the  sea  to  administer  the  ordinance. 
"January  24th,  I  left  Preston  and  went  to  Longton 
with  Brother  Hyde.  We  preached  once  each,  and 
baptized  ten ;  from  thence  returned  to  Preston  and 
stayed  two  or  three  days.  Then  I  started  on  a  mission 
to  Eccleston  and  other  places,  visiting  six  branches  and 
strengthening  them.  I  was  absent  about  eighteen  days 
and  baptized  fifteen  ;  the  weather  being  so  cold  that 
many  dared  not  go  into  the  water.  Returned  to 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  19 1 

Preston  and  stayed  three  days.  On  the  Sabbath  Elder 
Hyde  and  myself  administered  the  sacrament  and  con- 
firmed twelve.  From  thence  went  to  Longton  and  bap- 
tized three,  ordained  one  priest,  one  teacher,  and  one 
deacon,  and  blessed  about  thirty  children.  Again 
returned  to  Preston.  From  thence  went  to  Whittle  ; 
preached  once,  and  baptized  five  ;  and  returned  to 
Preston  February  23rd. 

"From  this  time  to  our  departure  from  England  we 
were  continually  engaged  in  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
proclaiming  the  everlasting  Gospel  in  all  the  regions 
round,  and  baptizing  all  who  believed  and  repented  of 
their  sins.  The  Holy  Ghost,  the  comforter,  was  given 
to  us  and  abode  with  us  in  a  remarkable  manner." 

"The  time  when  we  expected  to  return  to  our 
native  land  being  near  at  hand,  it  was  considered  best 
for  us  to  spend  the  short  time  we  had  to  remain  in  visit- 
ing and  organizing  the  branches  ;  placing  such  officers 
over  them,  and  giving  such  instructions  as  would  be 
beneficial  to  them  during  our  absence.  Accordingly 
Brothers  Hyde,  Fielding  and  myself  visited  a  branch 
nearly  every  day,  and  imparted  such  instructions  as  the 
Spirit  directed.  We  first  visited  the  branches  south  of 
Preston,  and  after  spending  some  time  in  that  direction 
we  journeyed  to  the  north,  accompanied  by  Brother 
Willard  Richards,  who  had  returned  from  Bedford  March 
7th,  where  he  had  been  proclaiming  the  Gospel.  In  con- 
sequence of  sickness  his  labors  had  not  been  so 
extensive  as  they  otherwise  would  have  been,  and  were 
confined  within  a  short  distance  of  the  city  of  Bedford, 
where  he  raised  up  two  small  branches  of  about  forty 
members,  which  he  set  in  order,  and  ordained  James 
Lavender  an  Elder,  and  other  officers  to  preside.  He 
had  labored  under  considerable  difficulty  in  consequence 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.      KIMBALL. 


of  the  conduct  of  Elder  Goodson,  who  taught  many 
things  which  were  not  in  wisdom,  and  which  proved  a 
barrier  to  the  spread  of  the  truth  in  that  region.  His 
health  being  poor,  he  was  not  able  to  preach  much. 

"While  we  were  attending  to  our  duties  in  that  sec- 
tion we  received  a  very  pressing  invitation  from  a  Bap- 
tist church,  through  the  medium  of  their  deacon,  to  pay 
them  a  visit,  stating  that  the  society  were  exceedingly 
anxious  to  hear  from  our  lips  the  wonderful  things  we 
had  proclaimed  in  the  regions  round  about.  We  endea- 
vored to  excuse  ourselves  from  going,  as  our  engage- 
ments were  such  that  it  would  require  the  short  time  we 
had  to  stay  to  attend  them.  They  seemed  determined 
not  to  take  a  denial  and  pleaded  with  such  earnestness 
that  we  could  not  resist  their  entreaties,  and  we  finally 
consented  to  go  and  preach  once.  Having  arrived  at 
the  village,  which  was  between  Downham  and  Burnley, 
we  found  a  large  congregation  already  assembled  in  the 
Baptist  chapel,  anxiously  waiting  our  arrival.  The  min- 
ister gave  out  the  hymns  and  Elder  Hyde  spoke  on  the 
resurrection  with  great  effect,  after  which  the  minister 
gave  out  another  hymn,  which  was  sung  by  the  assembly, 
and  then  he  requested  me  to  address  them.  I  spoke 
briefly  on  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel.  During  the 
services  the  congregation  was  overjoyed,  tears  ran  down 
their  cheeks,  and  the  minister  could  not  refrain  from  fre- 
quently clapping  his  hands  for  joy,  while  in  the  meeting. 
After  the  service  was  over  he  took  us  to  his  house  where 
we  were  very  kindly  entertained.  After  partaking  of 
his  hospitality,  he  with  some  more  friends  accompanied 
us  to  our  lodgings,  where  we  remained  in  conversation 
until  a  very  late  hour.  The  next  morning  while  we  were 
preparing  to  depart  we  were  waited  upon  by  several  of 
the  citizens  who  requested  us  to  preach  again  that  day, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  193 

stating  that  great  interest  was  felt  by  the  inhabitants, 
many  of  whom  were  in  tears,  fearing  they  should  hear  us 
no  more,  and  that  a  number  of  influential  men  had  sus- 
pended operations  in  their  factories  to  allow  their  work- 
men the  privilege  of  hearing  us  preach  ;  but  we  were 
obliged  to  deny  them,  as  it  was  necessary  to  attend  to 
the  appointments  we  had  previously  made.  We  could 
scarcely  go  away  from  them,  and  when  we  did  so  they 
wept  like  little  children.  Such  a  desire  to  hear  the  Gos- 
pel I  never  saw  equalled  before. 

"After  commending  them  to  the  grace  and  mercy  of 
God,  we  went  to  Downham,  where  we  preached  in  the 
afternoon,  after  which  we  baptized  several  and  confirmed 
forty.  In  the  evening  we  called  the  churches  of  Chat- 
burn,  Downham,  Clithero  and  Waddington  together,  and 
after  confirming  some,  we  ordained  Priests,  Teachers  and 
Deacons  to  preside  over  the  branches. 

"From  thence  we  went  to  Preston,  and  after  a  short 
stay  visited  Penwortham  and  Longton,  and  organized  the 
churches  in  those  places,  which  numbered  about  fifty 
members  each." 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

CONDITION    OF    THE    CHURCH    AT    HOME PRUNING    OFF    THE 

DEAD       BRANCHES A     DAY    OF     CHOOSING APOSTATES 

CONSPIRE    TO     OVERTHROW     THE     CHURCH FLIGHT    OF 

THE        PROPHET      FROM      KIRTLAND FALL     OF      OLIVER 

COWDERY    AND      OTHER     APOSTLES "SHOW     UNTO      US 

THY  WILL,    O    LORD,    CONCERNING    THE    TWELVE!" 

WHILE  the  Apostles  are  setting  in  order  the  Church 
in  England,  preparatory  to  their  departure  for  America, 
let  us  fly  before  them  over  the  sea  and  note  some  of  the 
changes  which  have  taken  place  since  they  left  Kirt- 
land. 

The  Church  had  suffered  terribly  from  the  ravages 
of  apostasy.  At  no  time  in  its  history  has  it  seemed  so 
near  destruction,  as  in  the  early  part  of  1837,  the  period 
of  the  opening  of  the  British  Mission.  The  causes  are 
noted  elsewhere  in  these  pages,  and  deserve  a  niche  in 
the  temple  of  memory  for  all  time.  The  Ohio  mobbings, 
the  Missouri  persecutions,  the  martyrdom,  the  exodus, 
nor  all  that  Zion's  cause  has  suffered  since,  have 
imperilled  it  half  so  much  as  when  mammon  and  the  love 
of  God  strove  for  supremacy  in  the  hearts  of  His  people, 
and  the  Saints,  for  a  time  forgetful  of  their  high  calling, 
laid  aside  their  spiritual  mission  and  went  groveling  after 
"the  beggarly  elements  of  the  world." 

Only  once  in  the  history  of  the  work,  has  its 
almighty  Author  found  it  necessary  to  reveal  that 
"something  new  must  be  done  for  the  salvation  of  the 
Church." 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  195 

That  "something  new,"  as  we  have  seen,  was  a 
great  spiritual  movement,  to  counteract  the  tendency  to 
carnal  or  temporal  things,  which  was  resting  like  the 
sleep  of  death  upon  the  drooping  eyelids  of  the  Zion  of 
God. 

To  root  out  the  deadly  Upas-tree,  rouse  Zion  from 
her  slumber  beneath  its  pestilential  shade,  and  prune  off 
the  withered  branches  from  the  Tree  of  Life,  was  the 
first  care  of  the  Prophet  after  despatching  the  Elders  for 
England. 

A  conference  assembled  "  in  committee  of  the  whole 
Church"  at  Kirtland,  on  Sunday,  September  3rd,  1837. 
At  this  conference  the  various  quorums  of  the  Priest- 
hood were  presented  to  the  people  for  their  action. 

President  Sidney  Rigdon  presented  the  name  of 
Joseph  Smith,  junior,  to  the  Church,  to  know  if  they  still 
looked  upon  him  as  the  President  of  the  whole  Church, 
and  would  receive  and  sustain  him  in  that  position. 
The  vote  was  unanimous  in  the  affirmative. 

President  Smith  then  presented  Sidney  Rigdon  and 
Frederick  G.  Williams  as  his  counselors,  and  to  consti- 
tute with  himself  the  three  first  Presidents  of  the  Church. 
Elder  Rigdon  was  sustained  unanimously,  but  the 
motion  failed  as  to  F.  G.  Williams.  President 
Smith  then  put  in  nomination  Oliver  Cowdery, 
Joseph  Smith,  senior,  Hyrum  Smith,  and  John  Smith,  as 
assistant  counselors  ;  these  four,  together  with  the  first 
three,  to  be  considered  the  heads  of  the  Church.  Carried 
unanimously. 

It  was  voted  that  Newel  K.  Whitney  continue  to 
hold  his  office  as  Bishop  in  Kirtland,  and  that  Reynolds 
Cahoon  and  Jared  Carter  continue  to  act  as  the  Bishop's 
counselors. 

The   Twelve  Apostles  were   then  presented,  one  by 


196  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

one,  when  Thomas  B.  Marsh,  David  W.  Patten,  Brigham 
Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson  Hyde,  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
William  Smith  and  William  E.  McLellin,  were  received 
and  unanimously  sustained  in  their  Apostleship.  Luke 
Johnson,  Lyman  Johnson  and  John  F.  Boynton  were 
rejected  and  cut  off,  though  given  the  privilege  of  con- 
fessing and  making  satisfaction.  The  cause  of  the  diffi- 
culty with  Elders  Boynton  and  Johnson  was  their  "leav- 
ing their  calling  to  attend  to  other  occupations." 

Five  members  of  the  High  Council  were  also 
objected  to  by  the  people,  and  new  ones  chosen  in 
their  stead.  John  Gaylord,  James  Forster,  Salmon  Gee, 
Daniel  S.  Miles,  Joseph  Young,  Josiah  Butterfield  and 
Levi  Hancock  were  retained  in  office  as  Presidents  of 
the  Seventies,  while  John  Gold  was  rejected. 

A  similar  conference  was  held  at  Far  West,  Cald- 
well  County,  Missouri,  then  the  head-quarters  of  the 
Church  in  that  region,  on  the  7th  of  November  1837,  and 
another  on  the  5th  of  February,  1838.  The  Priesthood 
was  reorganized  and  the  Church  set  in  order,  in  the 
same  manner  as  had  been  done  in  Kirtland.  Hyrum 
Smith  was  sustained,  in  lieu  of  Frederick  G.  Williams,  as 
one  of  the  three  First  Presidents,  in  which  office  he  had 
before  been  acting.  Elder  Boynton  and  the  two  Elders 
Johnson  were  reinstated  in  the  Quorum  of  the  Twelve, 
though  later  they  again  fell  away.  Bishops  Edward  Part- 
ridge, Isaac  Morley  and  Titus  Billings  were  retained  in 
office  ;  while  Presidents  William  W.  Phelps  and  John 
Whitmer  were  severed  from  the  Church  ;  the  former 
afterwards  returned. 

Against  these  brethren  "Elder  Lyman  Wight 
stated  that  he  considered  all  other  accusations  of  minor 
importance,  compared  to  their  selling  their  lands  in 
Jackson  County  ;  that  they  had  set  an  example  which  all 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  1 97 

the  Saints  were  liable  to  follow.  He  said  that  it  was  a 
hellish  principle,  and  that  they  had  flatly  denied  the  faith 
in  so  doing." 

Thus  was  the  line  of  demarcation  being  drawn. 
Thus  were  "the  inhabitants  of  Zion"  commencing  to 
"judge  all  things  pertaining  to  Zion."  There  had  been 
a  day  of  calling ;  a  day  of  choosing  now  had  come,  and 
they  who  were  "not  Apostles  and  Prophets"  were  begin- 
ning to  be  known. 

During  the  absence  of  the  Prophet  and  Elder  Rig- 
don  in  Missouri,  whither  they  had  gone  to  superintend 
the  work  of  purification,  Warren  Parrish,  John  F.  Boyn- 
ton,  Luke  Johnson,  Joseph  Coe,  and  others,  in  Kirtland, 
dissented  from  the  Church  and  combined  together  for  its 
overthrow.  They  were  encouraged  and  assisted  by 
apostates  and  prominent  Elders  of  the  Church  in  Mis- 
souri. These  dissenters  called  themselves  "the  Church 
of  Christ,"  the  "old  standard,"  openly  renouncing  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  and  denounc- 
ing the  Prophet  Joseph  and  all  who  adhered  to  him,  as 
heretics. 

So  bitter  became  the  apostate  and  mobocratic  spirit 
in  Kirtland,  that  they  who  raised  their  voices  in  defense 
of  the  Prophet  of  God,  at  once  endangered  their  lives. 
Apostle  Brigham  Young,  who  stood  firm  and  immovable 
at  Joseph's  side,  was  forced  to  flee  to  save  himself  from 
the  fury  of  the  enemy,  who  were  enraged  at  his  bold, 
outspoken  stand  in  favor  of  the  Prophet,  and  against  his 
foes  and  traducers.  Three  weeks  later,  on  January  I2th, 
1838,  the  Prophet  and  President  Rigdon  also  fled  from 
Kirtland,  for  Missouri,  followed  by  human  blood-hounds, 
armed  and  thirsting  for  their  lives,  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  miles. 

Kirtland  was   now   no  longer  a  fit  abid:ng  place  for 


198  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

the  Saints.  The  faithful  of  the  body  of  the  Church  com- 
menced migrating  to  Missouri,  where  the  work  of  purifi- 
cation went  on. 

At  Far  West,  in  April,  1838,  Presidents  Oliver  Cow- 
dery  and  David  Whitmer  were  excommunicated  from  the 
Church.  The  charges  sustained  against  the  former  were 
for  urging  vexatious  law-suits  against  the  brethren,  slan- 
dering President  Joseph  Smith,  contempt  of  the  Church 
in  not  attending  meetings,  leaving  his  calling  in  which 
God  had  appointed  him  by  revelation,  for  the  sake  of 
filthy  lucre,  and  turning  to  the  practice  of  law ;  disgrac- 
ing the  Church  by  being  connected  in  the  bogus  business, 
dishonesty,  and,  finally,  for  "leaving  or  forsaking  the 
cause  of  God,  and  returning  to  the  beggarly  elements  of 
the  world,  and  neglecting  his  high  and  holy  calling, 
according  to  his  profession." 

President  Whitmer  was  charged  with  not  observing 
the  Word  of  Wisdom  ;  neglecting  meetings  and  possess- 
ing the  same  spirit  as  the  dissenters,  writing  letters  to 
the  dissenters  in  Kirtland,  unfavorable  to  the  cause  of 
God  and  the  character  of  His  Prophet,  neglecting  the 
duties  of  his  calling  and  separating  himself  from  the 
Church,  and  signing  himself  President  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  after  being  cut  off  from  the  Presidency,  in  an 
insulting  letter  to  the  High  Council. 

On  the  same  day  Apostle  Lyman  E.  Johnson  was 
excommunicated,  and  soon  after  Apostle  William  E. 
McLellin  fell  away. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1838,  at  Far  West,  the  Prophet 
Joseph  and  the  remainder  of  the  Twelve  met  in  solemn 
council  and  unitedly  besought  the  Throne  of  Grace  for 
guidance,  light  and  help. 

"Show  unto  us  Thy  will,  O  Lord,  concerning  the 
Twelve!" 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  199 

Such  was  the  burden  of  their  prayer,  to  which  the 
Lord  made  answer  as  follows  : 

''Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  let  a  conference  be 
held  immediately,  let  the  Twelve  be  organized,  and  let 
men  be  appointed  to  supply  the  place  of  those  who  are 
fallen.  Let  my  servant  Thomas  remain  for  a  season  in 
the  Land  of  Zion,  to  publish  my  word.  Let  the  residue 
continue  to  preach  from  that  hour,  and  if  they  will  do 
this  in  all  lowliness  of  heart,  in  meekness  and  humility, 
and  long  suffering,  I,  the  Lord,  give  unto  them  a  promise 
that  I  will  provide  for  their  families,  and  an  effectual  door 
shall  be  opened  for  them,  from  henceforth ;  and  next 
spring  let  them  depart  to  go  over  the  great  waters,  and 
there  promulgate  my  Gospel,  the  fullness  thereof,  and 
bear  record  of  my  name.  Let  them  take  leave  of  my 
Saints  in  the  city  Far  West,  on  the  26th  day  of  April 
next,  on  the  building  spot  of  my  house,  saith  the  Lord. 
Let  my  servant,  John  Taylor,  and  also  my  servant  John 
E.  Page,  and  also  my  servant  Wilford  Woodruff,  and  also 
my  servant  Willard  Richards,  be  appointed  to  fill  the 
places  of  those  who  have  fallen,  and  be  officially  notified 
of  their  appointment." 

John  Taylor  and  John  E.  Page  were  ordained  Apos- 
tles December  igth,  1838,  and  Wilford  Woodruff  on  the 
26th  of  the  following  April.  Willard  Richards  received 
his  ordination  in  Preston,  England,  after  the  arrival  there 
of  the  Apostles  in  April,  1840.  George  A.  Smith  was 
added  to  the  quorum  the  same  day  that  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff was  ordained,  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by  the  fall  of 
another  of  the  Twelve.  All,  save  John  E.  Page,  who 
fell  from  grace  a  few  years  later,  have  won  immortal  fame 
in  Israel,  and  left  to  posterity  the  legacy  of  a  spotless 
name. 

Let  us  now  return  to  the  Apostles  and  their  work 
in  England. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

IIEBER'S  FAREWELL  TO    CHATBURN — AN    AFFECTING    SCENE 

—HIS  SYMPATHY  FOR  THE    POOR   OF    ENGLAND THE 

APRIL     CONFERENCE     IN     PRESTON TWO     THOUSAND 

SAINTS    ASSEMBLE JOSEPH    FIELDING    APPOINTED    TO 

PRESIDE  OVER  THE  BRITISH  MISSION. 

WE  left  Apostles  Kimball  and  Hyde,  with  their 
associates  in  the  ministry,  visiting  the  various  branches 
of  the  mission  they  had  founded,  preparatory  to  taking 
farewell  leave  of  the  Saints  and  sailing  for  America. 
They  agreed  to  hold  a  general  conference  in  Preston  on 
the  8th  of  April,  the  day  before  their  departure. 

"  In  the  interval,"  writes  Heber,  (T  went  and  visited 
the  branches  in  the  regions  of  Clithero  and  Chatburn, 
and  on  the  morning  when  I  left  Chatburn  many  were  in 
tears,  thinking  they  should  see  my  face  no  more.  When 
I  left  them,  my  feelings  were  such  as  I  cannot  describe. 
As  I  walked  down  the  street  I  was  followed  by  numbers ; 
the  doors  were  crowded  by  the  inmates  of  the  houses  to 
bid  me  farewell,  who  could  only  give  vent  to  their  grief 
in  sobs  and  broken  accents.  While  contemplating  this 
scene  I  was  constrained  to  take  off  my  hat,  for  I  felt  as 
if  the  place  was  holy  ground.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
rested  down  upon  me  and  I  was  constrained  to  bless 
that  whole  region  of  country.  I  was  followed  by  a  great 
number  to  Clithero,  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
villages,  who  could  then  hardly  separate  from  me.  My 
heart  was  like  unto  theirs,  and  I  thought  my  head  was  a 
fountain  of  tears,  for  I  wept  for  several  miles  after  I  bid 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  2OI 

them  adieu.      I  had  to  leave  the  road  three  times  to  go 
to  streams  of  water  to  bathe  my  eyes." 

4 'Who  can  read  this,"  says  Tullidge,  beautifully, 
"without  a  feeling  of  profound  veneration  for  the  great 
and  good  man  whose  memory  is  enshrined  in  the  hearts 
of  the  British  Saints  as  their  spiritual  father?  That 
touching  scene  is  enough  to  immortalize  the  character  of 
Heber  C.  Kimball  as  a  true  apostle  of  Christ ;  and  the 
pathos  is  actually  heightened  when  he  is  seen  alone  by 
the  wayside  weeping,  or  by  the  streams  washing  away 
those  sacred  tears." 

Heber  C.  Kimball  was  indeed  a  true  apostle  of 
Christ,  one  of  the  called  and  chosen ;  a  prophet  and  a 
servant  of  God,  in  nature  as  well  as  name. 

The  Prophet  Joseph  told  him  in  after  years  that  the 
reason  he  felt  as  he  did  in  the  streets  of  Chatburn  was 
because  the  place  was  indeed  "holy  ground,"  that  some 
of  the  ancient  prophets  had  traveled  in  that  region  and 
dedicated  the  land,  and  that  he,  Heber,  had  reaped  the 
benefit  of  their  blessing. 

It  being  known  that  the  Elders  were  about  to  leave 
England,  great  numbers  flocked  to  hear  them,  and  many 
were  baptized.  Their  labors  were  consequently  very 
arduous.  Says  Elder  Kimball : 

"Some  days  we  went  from  house  to  house,  convers- 
ing with  the  people  on  the  things  of  the  kingdom,  and 
would  sometimes  be  instrumental  in  convincing  many  of 
the  truth :  and  I  have  known  as  many  as  twenty  persons 
baptized  in  one  day,  who  have  been  convinced  on  such 
occasions.  I  have  had  to  go  into  the  water  to  administer 
the  ordinance  of  baptism  six  or  seven  times  a  day,  and 
frequently  after  having  come  out  of  the  water  and 
changed  my  clothes,  I  have  had  to  turn  back  to  the 
water  before  I  reached  my  lodgings  ;  this,  too,  when  the 


2O2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

weather  was  extremely  cold,  the  ice  being  from  twelve 
to  fourteen  inches  thick.  The  weather  continued  so 
about  twelve  weeks,  during  which  time  I  think  there 
were  but  ten  days  in  which  we  were  not  in  the  water  bap- 
tizing. The  harvest  was  indeed  plenteous,  but  the 
laborers  were  few." 

The  following  passage  of  reflections  on  the  poor  of 
England  is  worthy  of  the  great  philanthropic  heart  of 
Heber  C.  Kimball: 

"This  was  very  extraordinary  weather  for  that 
country,  as  I  was  informed  that  some  winters  they  had 
scarcely  any  frost  or  snow,  and  the  oldest  inhabitants 
told  me  that  they  never  experienced  such  a  winter  before. 
In  consequence  of  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  several 
manufacturing  establishments  were  shut  up,  and  several 
thousands  of  men,  women  and  children  were  thrown  out 
of  employment,  whose  sufferings  during  that  time  were 
severe ;  and  I  was  credibly  informed,  and  verily  believe, 
that  many  perished  from  starvation.  Such  sufferings  I 
never  witnessed  before.  The  scenes  which  1  daily  beheld 
were  enough  to  chill  the  blood  in  my  veins.  The 
streets  were  crowded  with  men,  women  and  children  who 
begged  from  the  passengers  as  they  walked  along. 
Numbers  of  those  poor,  wretched  beings  were  without 
shoes  or  stockings,  and  scarcely  any  covering  to  screen 
them  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather;  and  daily  I 
could  discover  delicate  females  walking  the  streets  gath- 
ering up  the  animal  refuse,  and  carrying  it  to  places 
where  they  could  sell  it  for  a  penny  or  half-penny.  And 
thus  they  lived  through  the  winter.  At  the  same  time 
there  were  hundreds  and  thousands  living  in  wealth  and 
splendor.  I  felt  to  exclaim,  O  Lord,  how  long  shall  these 
things  exist !  How  long  shall  the  rich  oppress  the  poor, 
and  have  no  more  care  or  interest  for  them  than  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  203. 

brutes  of  the  field,  nor  half  so  much !  When  will  dis- 
tress and  poverty  cease,  and  peace  and  plenty  abound ! 
When  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  descend  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven,  then  the  rod  of  the  oppressor  shall  be  broken. 
Hasten  the  time,  O  Lord,  was  frequently  the  language 
of  my  heart  when  I  contemplated  the  scenes  of  wretched- 
ness and  woe  which  I  daily  witnessed. 

"Great  numbers  were  initiated  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven ;  those  who  were  sick  were  healed ;  those  who 
were  diseased  flocked  to  us  daily;  and  truly  their  faith 
was  great,  such  as  I  hardly  ever  witnessed  before,  con- 
sequently many  were  healed  of  their  infirmities.  We 
were  continually  employed  day  and  night,  some  nights 
hardly  closing  our  eye-lids.  The  task  was  almost  more 
than  we  could  endure;  but  realizing  the  circumstances  of 
this  people,  their  love  of  the  truth,  their  humility  and 
unfeigned  charity,  caused  us  to  use  all  diligence  and  make 
good  use  of  every  moment,  for  truly  our  bowels  yearned 
over  them." 

Touching  the  prospects  of  the  missionary  work  in 
England,  he  adds  : 

"The  work  kept  spreading;  the  prospect  of  use- 
fulness grew  brighter  and  brighter,  and  the  field  opened 
larger  and  larger ;  while  the  cries  of  'Come,  and  admin- 
ister the  words  of  life  unto  us,'  were  more  and  more 
frequently  sounding  in  our  ears.  I  do  not  remember 
during  the  last  six  months  I  was  in  England  of  retiring 
to  my  bed  earlier  than  midnight,  which  was  also  the  case 
with  Brothers  Hyde  and  Fielding. 

"Sunday,  April  8th,  the  day  of  the  conference,  came. 
The  Saints  began  to  assemble  at  an  early  hour.  By 
nine  o'clock  there  were  from  six  to  seven  hundred  pres- 
ent from  various  parts  of  the  country.  After  the  meet- 
ing was  opened  by  singing  and  prayer,  we  had  a  repre- 


2O4  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

sentation  of  the  following  branches,  viz. :  Preston,  Pen- 
wortham,  Walkerfold,  Thornley,  Ribchester,  Chatburn, 
Clithero,  Barshe  Lees,  Waddington,  Leyland  Moss,  Ley- 
land  Lane,  Eccleston,  Hunter's  Hill,  Euxton,  Whittle, 
Dauber's  Lane,  Bamber  Bridge,  Longton,  Southport, 
Downham,  Burnley,  Bedford,  Alston,  Brampton,  Bolton, 
Chorley.  The  total  number  of  Saints  represented  were 
about  two  thousand,  which,  with  the  exception  of  the 
branches  in  Preston,  Bedford  and  Cumberland,  were 
principally  raised  up  by  my  own  labors,  as  I  spent  my 
time  in  the  branches,  except  on  Sundays,  when  I  preached 
in  Preston.  The  branch  in  Preston  numbered  about  four 
hundred,  that  in  Bedford  forty,  and  the  branch  in  Cum- 
berland sixty." 

All  this  was  the  work  of  only  eight  months.  Two 
thousand  had  been  baptized  and  enough  branches  organ- 
ized to  form  the  base  work  of  three  or  four  conferences, 
incorporating  in  the  missionary  work  about  that  number 
of  the  counties  of  England.  Thus  the  work  had  already 
widely  spread,  yet  only  three  or  four  Elders  had  been  out 
in  the  ministry.  Heber  C.  Kimball  himself  had  con- 
verted in  eight  months  about  one  thousand  five  hundred 
souls.  He  continues: 

"We  gave  instructions  to  the  official  members, 
reminding  them  of  their  several  duties  and  callings,  and 
the  responsibilities  which  rested  upon  them ;  pressing 
upon  them  the  necessity  of  being  humble  and  faithful 
in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  so  that  by  patience, 
meekness  and  love  unfeigned,  they  might  commend 
themselves  to  God,  and  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
over  whom  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  them  guardians. 

"Feeling  it  necessary  for  the  good  of  the  kingdom 
to  leave  someone  in  authority  over  the  whole  church,  I 
nominated  Joseph  Fielding  to  preside,  with  Willard 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  205 

Richards  as  his  first  counselor,  and  William  Clayton  his 
second  counselor.  The  nominations  met  with  the  appro- 
bation of  the  whole  assembly,  who  agreed  to  hearken  to 
their  instructions  and  uphold  them  in  their  offices.  These 
brethren  were  then  ordained  to  the  High  Priesthood, 
and  set  apart  to  preside  over  the  Church  in  England. 
Eight  Elders,  several  Priests,  Teachers  and  Deacons,  were 
set  apart  and  ordained  to  the  several  offices  to  which 
they  were  called.  One  of  the  brethren  ordained  was 
going  to  Manchester,  and  another  to  the  city  of 
London." 

"We  then  confirmed  forty  individuals,  after  which 
about  one  hundred  children  were  blessed.  The  same 
day  twenty  persons  were  baptized  for  the  remission  of 
sins.  We  then  proceeded  to  administer  the  sacrament 
to  the  numerous  assembly,  and  gave  some  general 
instructions  to  the  whole  church  respecting  their  duty  to 
God  and  to  each  other,  which  were  listened  to  with  great 
attention. 

"At  this  conference  we  were  favored  with  the  com- 
pany of  Elder  Willard  Richards,  also  Elder  Russell,  who 
had  returned  from  Cumberland.  He  met  with  considera- 
ble opposition  from  his  own  kindred,  as  well  as  from 
ministers  of  the  different  denominations,  who  sought 
every  opportunity  to  destroy  his  influence.  Notwith- 
standing the  great  opposition  he  was  instrumental  in 
bringing  upwards  of  sixty  souls  into  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  left  them  rejoicing  in  the  truth,  under  the  watch- 
care  of  Elder  Jacob  Peart.  Thus  the  great  work  was 
commenced  in  three  places,  Preston,  Bedford  and  Alston, 
which  forcibly  reminds  me  of  the  parable  of  the  leaven 
which  the  woman  hid  in  the  three  measures  of  meal." 

The  conference  closes  with  another  of  those  almost 
dramatic  pictures  with  which  this  eventful  history  abounds. 


206  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"At  5  p.  m.,"  says  the  Apostle,  "we  brought  the 
conference  to  a  close,  having  continued  without  inter- 
ruption from  9  a.  m.,  and  appointed  7  o'clock  the  same 
evening"  to  deliver  our  farewell  addresses.  At  the 

o 

appointed  time  we  repaired  to  the  '  Cock  Pit'  which  was 
crowded  to  excess.  Brother  Hyde  and  myself  spoke  to 
them  concerning  our  labors  in  that  land,  the  success  of 
the  ministry,  and  the  kindness  we  had  experienced  at 
their  hands,  and  told  them  we  expected  before  long  to 
see  them  again,  after  we  had  visited  the  Church  and  our 
families  in  America.  When  we  spoke  of  our  departure 
their  souls  were  melted  ;  they  gave  vent  to  their  feelings 
and  wept  like  little  children,  and  broke  out  in  lamenta- 
tions like  the  following:  'How  can  we  part  with  our 
beloved  brethren!'  'We  may  never  see  them  again!' 
'  O,  why  must  you  leave  us  ! '  I  could  not  restrain  my 
feelings,  and  they  found  vent  in  a  flood  of  tears.  It 
would  have  been  almost  an  impossibility  for  us  to  have 
left  this  affectionate  people,  if  we  had  not  had  the  most 
implicit  confidence  in  the  brethren  who  had  been  appointed 
to  preside  over  them  in  our  absence ;  but  knowing  they 
had  the  confidence  of  the  Church,  we  felt  that  affairs 
would  be  conducted  in  righteousness. 

"Immediately  after  dismissing  the  congregation  we 
met  the  official  brethren,  about  eighty,  and  instructed 
them  in  their  duties,  and  dismissed  at  i  o'clock  the  next 
morning." 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

DEPARTURE      FOR      LIVERPOOL HEBER's      LETTER      TO       THE 

SAINTS  IN  CHATBURN  AND  DOWNHAM HIS  PREDIC- 
TION CONCERNING  THOMAS  WEBSTER ITS  STRICT  FUL- 
FILLMENT. 

AT  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April  Qth,  Elders 
Kimball,  Hyde  and  Russell  left  Preston  for  Liverpool. 
Through  the  kindness  of  the  Saints,  many  of  whom 
assembled  to  bid  them  farewell,  they  were  provided  with 
means  to  take  them  back  to  Kirtlancl.  With  tearful  eyes 
they  were  gazed  at  by  the  multitude  until  the  coach  was 
lost  to  view. 

"Notwithstanding  the  variegated  scenery  of  the 
country,"  says  Heber,  "which  in  England  is  very  beauti- 
ful, my  mind  reverted  back  to  the  time  when  I  first 
arrived  in  that  country,  and  the  peculiar  feelings  that 
possessed  me  when  I  traveled  from  Liverpool  to  Preston 
eight  months  before.  Then  I  was  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land,  and  had  only  to  rely  upon  the  kind 
ness  and  mercy  of  that  God  who  had  sent  me 
there.  While  I  mused  on  these  things,  my  soul  was 
humbled  within  me,  for  I  had  now  hundreds  of  brethren 
to  whom  I  was  united  in  bonds  the  most  endearing  and 
sacred,  and  who  loved  me  as  their  own  souls,  and  whose 
prayers  would  be  continually  offered  up  for  my  welfare 
and  prosperity. 

"After  a  ride  of  about  four  hours  we  arrived  at 
Liverpool,  and  ascertaining  that  the  ship  in  which  wre 
intended  to  sail  would  not  leave  port  as  early  as 


2O8  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

expected,  in  consequence  of  a  great  storm,  in  which 
several  vessels  had  been  wrecked  and  many  lives  lost, 
we  took  lodgings  for  a  few  days  until  the  vessel  should 
depart. 

"We  were  accompanied  by  Elders  Fielding  and 
Richards,  who  felt  desirous  to  obtain  all  the  information 
they  could  respecting  the  government  of  the  Church,  as 
our  opportunities  of  instruction  had  been  limited  while 
in  Preston,  it  being  almost  impossible  to  have  much  pri- 
vate intercourse,  as  there  were  so  many  who  wished  to 
converse  with  us  on  the  subject  of  the  Gospel,  etc.  But 
in  this  they  were  disappointed,  for  as  soon  as  it  was 
known  in  Preston  and  other  places  that  our  departure 
was  delayed,  Elder  Clayton  and  numbers  of  the  brethren 
came  to  visit  us  in  Liverpool. 

"I  wrote  the  following  farewell  to  the  Church  of 
Latter-day  Saints  in  Chatburn  and  Downham : 

"'LIVERPOOL,   April   15,    1838. 
' ' '  Beloved  Brethren  : 

"  l  Having  given  all  diligence  to  make  known 
unto  you  the  common  salvation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which  ye  have  so  joyfully  received  from  my  lips,  I  feel 
now  to  write  to  you  a  few  words  for  your  consolation, 
and  the  confirming  of  that  hope  which  is  possessed  by 
you,  that  ye  may  be  steadfast  and  immovable,  always 
abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  that  it  may  be  made 
manifest  unto  all  men  that  our  labors  have  not  been  in 
vain. 

"'Be  kind  and  affectionate  one  towards  another, 
manifesting  your  faith  by  your  works — doing  as  well  as 
saying.  If  there  is  any  one  among  you  destitute  of  daily 
food,  feed  him  ;  if  any  one  be  naked,  clothe  him ;  if  any 
one  be  cast  down,  raise  him  up ;  if  any  among  you  are 
sick,  send  for  the  Elders,  or  Priests,  that  they  may  come 
and  pray  for  you,  and  lay  their  hands  upon  you,  and  the 
prayer  of  faith  shall  heal  the  sick  ;  therefore,  brethren, 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  209 

let  your  faith  be  centered  in  God,  for  He  is  able  to  do  all 
things,  to  forgive  sins  and  heal  the  sick,  for  you  know 
this,  that  God  has  said  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that 
believe. 

'"Now,  brethren,  I  exhort  you  in  the  name  of  my 
Master,  to  contend  for  that  faith  which  was  once  delivered 
to  the  Saints  ;  for  the  same  faith  will  produce  the  same 
effects  ;  for  God  has  not  changed,  neither  has  His  word 
changed ;  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  there 
shall  not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  His  word  fail  ;  all  shall  be 
fulfilled,  whether  it  be  by  His  own  voice  or  the  voice  of 
His  servants,  it  is  all  the  same ;  therefore,  brethren,  do 
not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceed- 
eth  forth  from  the  mouth  of  God. 

'"Dear  brethren  and  sisters,  be  patient,  be  humble, 
be  prayerful,  visit  your  secret  places.  Pray  in  your  fam- 
ilies morning  and  evening,  ye  who  are  heads  of  families, 
and  neglect  not  the  assembling  of  yourselves  together ; 
but  speak  often  one  to  another  concerning  the  things  of 
the  kingdom,  and  diligently  follow  after  every  good  thing, 
remembering  that  the  diligent  hand  maketh  rich.  Let 
these  things  be  and  abound  with  you,  and  ye  shall  be 
neither  barren  nor  unfruitful  in  the  knowledge  of  God. 
Let  your  eyes  be  single,  and  your  bodies  shall  be  filled 
with  light. 

'"Now,  to  you,  brethren,  who  have  been  ordained 
to  watch  over  the  flock,  I  would  say,  stand  in  your  places 
and  magnify  the  offices  which  ye  have  received  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  to  feed  His  sheep.  Feed  the  lambs;  watch 
over  the  flock  in  all  things ;  be  not  partial  to  any  one ; 
remember  these  things,  and  the  blessing  of  God  shall 
attend  you  in  all  things. 

"' Dear  brethren  and  sisters,  I  give  you  the  grati- 
tude of  my  heart  for  the  kindness  which  you  have 
bestowed  upon  me  and  my  brethren  ;  for  when  I  was 
hungry,  ye  fed  me  ;  when  I  was  naked,  ye  clothed  me  ; 
when  I  was  destitute,  ye  gave  me  money ;  when  I  was  a 
stranger,  ye  took  me  in  and  lodged  me ;  and,  as  ye  have 
done  these  things  to  me  and  my  brethren  in  our  necessi- 
ties, my  heavenly  Father  shall  minister  unto  you  in  your 


1 1 


210  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

necessities ;  for  I  am  not  forgetful  of  those  things  and  I 
do  ever  remember  you  in  my  prayers,  praying  my 
heavenly  Father  to  sustain  you,  and  enable  you  to  walk 
worthy  of  the  holy  vocation  unto  which  ye  have  been 
called,  unto  the  end.  Amen. 

11 '  Finally,  brethren  and  sisters,  farewell.  Pray  for  me 
and  my  brethren ;  and  may  the  God  of  all  grace  sanctify 
you  wholly,  and  bring  you  into  my  Father's  kingdom. 

"'  Adieu.  This  from  your  beloved  brother  in 
Christ, 

"'  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL." 

One  more  incident  remains  to  be  told,  ere  with  the 
Elders  we  take  leave  of  England.  At  Liverpool,  April 
1 3th,  "Good  Friday,"  Apostle  Kimball  penned  the  fol- 
lowing : 

' '  Dear  Brothers  and  Sisters  in  Preston  : 

"It  seemeth  good  unto  us  and  also 

unto  the  Holy  Spirit  to  write  you  a  few  words  which 
cause  pain  in  our  hearts,  and  will  also  pain  you  when 
they  are  fulfilled  before  you ;  yet  you  shall  have  joy  in 
the  end.  Brother  Webster  will  not  abide  in  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord,  but  will  reject  the  truth,  and  become  the 
enemy  of  the  people  of  God,  and  expose  the  mysteries 
which  have  been  committed  to  him,  that  a  righteous 
judgment  may  be  executed  upon  him,  unless  he  speedily 
repent. 

"When  this  sorrowful  prediction  shall  be  fulfilled, 
this  letter  shall  be  read  to  the  Church,  and  it  shall  prove 
a  solemn  warning  to  all  to  beware. 

"Farewell  in  the  Lord." 

This  letter,  signed  by  the  two  Apostles,  Heber  C. 
Kimball  and  Orson  Hyde,  was  sealed  in  the  presence, 
and  committed  to  the  care,  of  Elders  Joseph  Fielding 
and  Willard  Richards.  These  brethren,  on  returning  to 
Preston,  had  Elder  William  Clayton  and  Deacon  Arthur 
Burrows  examine  the  sealed  missive  critically,  and  placed 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  2 1  I 

marks  and  dates  upon  it,  in  order  to  be  able  to  testify, 
if  necessary,  that  it  had  not  been  opened. 

The  fulfillment  of  the  prediction  was  most  accurate. 
Thomas  Webster,  the  individual  referred  to  in  the  epistle, 
was  a  member  of  the  Preston  branch,  a  man  of  promise 
and  ability,  quite  popular  with  the  Saints,  and  his  integ- 
rity at  the  time  unquestioned.  Desiring  that  he  should 
prosper,  Presidents  Fielding  and  Richards  watched  over 
and  prayed  for  him,  and  "he  continued  to  grow  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  kingdom,  and  spoke  with  power  for 
some  months."  A  change  then  came  over  him;  he 
became  dissatisfied,  and  preferred  certain  charges  against 
the  presiding  Elders.  These  charges  were  proven  to  be 
false,  or  of  no  account,  and  Webster  was  required  to 
acknowledge  his  error,  or  cease  acting  in  his  office.  He 
refused  to  do  either.  On  the  following  Sunday,  in  a 
private  house,  he  administered  the  sacrament  to  six  of 
his  followers,  one  of  whom  had  been  excommunicated 
from  the  Church,  while  another  had  not  even  been  bap- 
tized. For  this  offense  Webster  was  deprived  of  his 
membership. 

The  letter  of  the  Apostles  was  then  opened  and  read 
to  the  Church,  Brothers  Clayton  and  Burrows  first  testi- 
fying publicly  that  the  seal  had  never  been  broken.  It 
was  feared  that  Webster's  popularity  would  draw  many 
after  him,  but  the  reading  of  the  prediction  concerning 
him  utterly  destroyed  his  influence,  and  more  fully  con- 
firmed the  Saints  in  their  faith. 

Webster,  ambitious  to  create  a  following,  and  well 
aware  of  his  popularity,  applied  for  permission  to  come 
before  the  Church  and  publicly  plead  his  cause,  which 
request  was  wisely  denied,  as  he  had  refused  to  appear, 
when  required,  the  Sabbath  before.  Soon  after  placards 
were  posted  up  in  different  parts  of  Preston  reading  as 


212  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

follows ;  "A  lecture  will  be  delivered  at  Mr.  Giles'  chapel, 
to  expose  the  mysteries  of  Mormonism,  by  Thomas 
Webster."  This  announcement  he  fulfilled,  though  with 
little  effect,  thus  making  good  in  strictest  detail  the  proph- 
ecy of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  uttered  six  months  before. 

Return  we  now  to  the  Apostles  and  Elder  Russell, 
in  Liverpool,  about  to  take  passage  on  board  the  Garrick, 
bound  for  New  York. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

THE     ELDERS     SAIL     FOR     HOME A     STORM     AT     SEA HOW 

HEBER    FOUND    FAVOR     WITH     THE    STEWARD ARRIVAL 

AT    NEW    YORK THE    "  GARRICK "  AGAIN    VICTORIOUS 

JOURNEY     TO      KIRTLAND ON      TO     FAR     WEST HAPPY 

MEETING    WITH    JOSEPH    AND    THE    BRETHREN. 

HOMEWARD  bound  ! 

Sheathed  the  sword  and  furled  the  banner. 

The  battle  won,  the  fortress  stormed  and  taken. 

For  a  little  season,  rest  and  change,  ere  again  the 
trumpet  sounds,  and  the  warrior  is  resummoned  to 
the  fray. 

It  was  indeed  a  campaign  of  victory  from  which  the 
Elders  were  returning.  The  laurel  wreath  was  theirs, 
bravely  and  fairly  earned. 

Yet  not  for  worldly  honors  and  applause  had  they 
been  striving.  These,  to  the  true  servant  of  Christ,  are 
ever  the  last  consideration.  The  praise  of  man  they 
neither  expected  nor  desired.  Their  reward  was  with 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  2  1 3 

them,  a  reward  never  wrongly  bestowed  ;  the  approval 
of  a  good  conscience  and  the  favor  of  their  Maker  ; 
meed  only  of  worthy  motives,  and  of  duty  well  performed. 

Again  on  board  the  Garrick,  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  heaving  main. 

It  was  on  the  2oth  of  April,  1838,  that  the  Elders 
embarked  for  home. 

"Soon  after  we  left  Liverpool,"  says  Heber,  "a 
great  storm  came  on,  with  a  head  wind,  which  continued 
without  cessation  for  several  days,  and  did  considerable 
damage  to  the  vessel  ;  the  bowsprit  was  broken  twice, 
by  the  force  of  the  wind,  with  only  the  jib  sail  set ;  the 
boom  likewise  came  down  with  great  force,  near  where 
the  captain  was  standing,  but  he  fortunately  escaped  ; 
several  other  parts  of  the  rigging  were  much  torn  and 
injured.  During  the  continuance  of  the  storm,  Brothers 
Hyde  and  Russell  were  very  sick.  After  this  we  had 
more  favorable  weather. 

"When  we  had  been  on  the  water  two  weeks,  I  asked 
permission  of  the  captain  for  one  of  us  to  preach,  which 
request  was  cheerfully  complied  with,  and  the  second 
cabin  was  prepared  for  the  occasion.  Brother  Russell 
preached,  after  which  Brother  Hyde  made  some  observa- 
tions ;  they  were  listened  to  with  great  attention,  and  the 
congregation  appeared  very  much  satisfied. 

"The  Lord  gave  us  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  captain 
and  passengers,  who  treated  us  with  respect  and  kind- 
ness. One  reason  for  obtaining  this  universal  favor  of 
the  ship's  company  was,  the  steward  of  the  ship  had 
charge  of  a  fine  Durham  cow,  which  was  larger  than  the 
medium  size  of  our  oxen  ;  the  cow  became  sick  and  the 
steward  was  very  sorry,  because  she  was  their  only 
dependence  to  supply  the  cabin  passengers  with  milk. 
I  went  and  looked  at  the  cow  and  discovered  that  she 


214  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

could  not  raise  her  cud.  I  told  the  steward  to  cut  for  me 
a  half  dozen  slices  of  fat  pork,  as  large  as  my  hand,  which 
he  did ;  and  I  gave  them  to  the  cow,  when  she  soon  got 
well.  From  that  time  forth  the  steward  sent  us  turtle 
soup,  wine,  and  every  luxury  the  ship  afforded,  and  made 
us  many  presents. 

"May  1 2th,  we  came  in  sight  of  New  York,  and  in 
the  evening  secured  a  landing,  after  a  passage  of  twenty- 
two  and  a  half  days." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Garrick,  on  its  first 
voyage,  bearing  these  Elders  to  England,  won  a  wager  of 
ten  thousand  dollars,  arriving  at  Liverpool  a  few  lengths 
ahead  of  the  packet  ship  South  America,  both  vessels 
having  left  New  York  at  the  same  time,  and  keeping  in 
sight  of  each  other  during  the  whole  of  the  way. 
Another  victory  was  now  scored  by  the  Garrick  in  arriv- 
ing at  the  port  of  New  York. 

Was  it  because  these  Mormon  Apostles  were 
again  on  board,  returning  themselves  from  a  great 
spiritual  contest,  in  which  God  had  given  them  the 
victory?  Judge,  reader,  for  yourself.  Here  is  the 
Apostle  Heber's  record  of  the  event : 

"There  was  a  wager  made  at  Liverpool  whether 
the  New  England  or  the  Garrick  would  arrive  in  port 
first.  When  we  passed  Sandy  Hook  the  New  England 
was  four  or  five  miles  ahead  of  us ;  some  of  our  officers 
remarked  she  would  go  in  before  us,  but  I  told  them  she 
would  not,  as  I  had  said  at  Liverpool  we  would  go  in 
first.  At  this  time  neither  of  the  ships  were  sailing  more 
than  three  knots  an  hour,  when  suddenly  the  wind  left 
the  sails  of  the  New  England,  and  a  fair  wind  struck  our 
sails,  and  we  ran  in  one  hour  ahead  of  her." 

Continuing,  the  prophet  Heber  says: 

"We  landed  and  went  into  the  city  of  New  York 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.      KIMBALL.  215 

with  several  of  the  passengers,  who  purchased  some 
refreshments,  and  after  we  returned,  bade  us  partake 
with  them,  and  we  all  rejoiced  together;  we  then  bowed 
before  the  Lord  and  offered  up  the  gratitude  of  our 
hearts  for  all  His  mercies,  in  prospering  us  on  our  mis- 
sion, and  bringing  us  safely  across  the  mighty  deep,  to 
behold  once  more  the  land  of  our  nativity,  and  the  pros- 
pect of  soon  embracing  our  families  and  friends. 

"  Sunday,  i3th,  we  went  in  search  of  Brother  Ford- 
ham,  whom  we  found  after  some  trouble.  He  was  glad 
to  see  us,  and  immediately  took  us  to  the  house  of 
Brother  Wandel  Mace,  where  we  were  glad  to  see  our 
beloved  brother  Orson  Pratt,  who  was  then  laboring  in 
that  city,  and  who,  with  his  brother  Parley  P.  Pratt,  had 
been  instrumental  in  bringing  many  into  the  kingdom 
there.  And  now  I  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the 
fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  I  delivered  to  Brother  Ford- 
ham  when  I  started  for  England. 

"We  accompanied  Brother  Orson  Pratt  to  the  house 
where  the  Saints  assembled  to  worship.  We  found 
about  eighty  persons  assembled,  all  of  whom  had 
recently  joined  the  Church.  After  singing  and  prayer,  I 
was  requested  to  give  an  account  of  our  mission  to  Eng- 
land, which  I  did.  In  the  evening  Elders  Russell  and 
Hyde  preached ;  afterwards  some  came  forward  and 
offered  themselves  as  candidates  for  baptism.  The  short 
time  we  were  in  New  York  was  spent  very  agreeably 
with  the  Saints. 

"On  the  1 4th  we  bade  adieu  to  the  brethren,  and 
continued  our  journey  by  steamboat,  railroad  and  canal, 
and  arrived  at  Kirtland  May  22nd,  having  been  absent 
eleven  months  and  nine  days. 

"I  found  my  family  in  good  health,  and  as  comfort- 
ably situated  as  I  could  expect;  our  joy  was  mutual. 


2l6  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

The  Saints  likewise  welcomed  us  home,  for  which  I  felt 
thankful  to  my  heavenly  Father. 

"But  my  journey  was  not  yet  ended  ;  for  soon  after 
my  arrival  in  Kirtland  I  commenced  making  preparations 
to  move  my  family  to  the  State  of  Missouri,  where 
Brother  Joseph  and  the  greater  part  of  the  authorities  of 
the  Church,  and  almost  all  the  members  who  had  any 
faith  in  Mormonism,  had  already  removed.  The  cause 
of  their  removal  to  the  west  was  the  persecutions  to 
which  they  were  subject  in  Kirtland.  The  brethren  who 
yet  resided  there,  although  very  kind  and  affectionate, 
were  weak  in  the  faith,  in  consequence  of  trials  and  temp- 
tations. This  caused  us  to  grieve  exceedingly,  and  we 
resolved  to  cheer  them  up  as  much  as  we  possibly  could. 
We  preached  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  a  few  times, 
recounted  our  travels  and  the  great  success  that  had 
attended  our  labors ;  also  the  marvelous  work  which  the 
Lord  had  commenced  in  England.  They  began  to  take 
courage,  their  confidence  increased,  their  faith  was 
strengthened,  and  they  again  realized  the  blessings  of 
Jehovah. 

"About  the  ist  of  July  I  commenced  my  journey 
with  my  family,  accompanied  by  Elders  Orson  Hyde, 
Erastus  Snow  and  Winslow  Farr,  two  brothers  by  the 
name  of  Badger,  and  the  widow  Beeman,  with  their  fam- 
ilies, numbering  about  forty  souls.  We  took  wagons  to 
Wellsville,  on  the  Ohio  River,  about  a  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  ;  then  took  steamboat  to  St.  Louis,  also  thence 
to  Richmond  on  Missouri  River.  Elder  Hyde  stayed  at 
Richmond  several  days.  We  there  procured  wagons  and 
went  to  Far  West,  where  we  arrived  in  safety  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  July,  and  had  a  happy  meeting  with  Jos- 
eph, Hyrum  and  Sidney,  some  of  the  Twelve,  and  num- 
bers of  our  friends  and  brethren,  some  of  whom  were  so 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  217 

glad  to  see  us,  that  tears  started  in  their  eyes  when  we 
took  them  by  the  hand. 

"  During  our  journey  from  Kirtland  to  Missouri,  the 
weather  was  extremely  warm,  in  consequence  of  which 
I  suffered  very  much,  my  body  being  weakened  by  sick- 
ness, and  I  continued  very  feeble  for  a  considerable 
length  of  time. 

''Sunday,  July  2oth,  I  met  Joseph,  Sidney  and  Hy- 
rum  on  the  public  square,  as  they  started  for  Adam-On- 
di-Ahman.  Joseph  requested  me  to  preach  to  the  Saints 
and  give  them  a  history  of  my  mission,  saying,  'It  will 
revive  their  spirits  and  do  them  good,'  which  I  did,  al- 
though I  was  scarcely  able  to  stand.  I  related  many 
things  respecting  my  mission  and  travels,  which  were 
gladly  received  by  them,  whose  hearts  were  cheered  by 
the  recital,  while  many  of  the  Elders  were  stirred  up  to 
diligence,  and  expressed  a  great  desire  to  accompany  me 
when  I  should  return  to  England." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THK    LAND    WHERE     ADAM      DWELT THE      SAINTS      IMPELLED 

TOWARD      THEIR        DESTINY PERSECUTION        REVIVES 

ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN THE    ALTAR     OF    THE    ANCIENT    OF 

DAYS. 

THE  land  where  Adam  dwelt.  The  site  of  the 
Garden  of  Eden.  The  place  where  the  Ancient  of  Days 
shall  sit,  and  the  God  of  heaven  shall  again  visit  His 
people.  As  saith  the  prophet  Daniel  : 

"I  beheld  till  the  thrones  were  cast  down  and  the 
Ancient  of  Days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white  as 
snow,  and  the  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure  wool:  his 
throne  was  like  the  fiery  flame,  and  his  wheels  as  burning 
fire. 

"A  fiery  stream  issued  and  come  forth  from  before 
him :  thousand  thousands  ministered  unto  him,  and  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him :  the 
judgment  was  set,  and  the  books  were  opened.  *  *  * 

"I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and  behold  one  like  the 
Son  of  man  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came 
to  the  Ancient  of  Days,  and  they  brought  him  near 
before  him. 

"And  there  was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory,  and 
a  kingdom,  that  all  people,  nations,  and  languages  should 
serve  him  :  his  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion, 
which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which 
shall  not  be  destroyed.  *  *  *  *  *  * 

'T  beheld  and  the  same  horn  made  war  with  the 
Saints,  and  prevailed  against  them  ; 

"  Until  the  Ancient  of  Days  came,  and  judgment 
was  given  to  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High;  and  the  time 
came  that  the  Saints  possessed  the  kingdom." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.      KIMBALL.  219 

Here,  in  this  most  ancient  region,  where,  parallel 
with  the  stream  of  Time,  the  great  river  of  mortal  life 
arose,  had  pitched  their  tents  the  Saints  of  latter  days. 

Here  dwelt  Adam  and  Eve  in  the  world's  infancy  ; 
here  they  tasted  of  the  fruit  forbidden,  and  were  driven 
forth  from  Eden,  their  fall  predestined  that  mortal  man 
might  be.  Here  the  great  sire  of  mankind  built  altars 
unto  God,  offering  sacrifice  unto  the  Father  in  commem- 
oration of  the  atonement  of  the  Son.  Here  fell  the  first 
martyr ;  here  righteous  Abel's  blood  was  spilt ;  here 
burst  the  awful  thunders  of  heaven's  awakened  wrath 
upon  the  guilty  head  of  earth's  first  murderer.  Here 
Adam,  bowed  with  age,  blessed  the  righteous  residue  of 
his  seed,  and  predicted  whatsoever  should  befall  his  pos- 
terity to  the  latest  generation. 

All  this  ere  the  days  of  Peleg,  in  whose  days  "was 
the  earth  divided;"  ere  Enoch's  city  rose  to  heaven,  or 
the  ark  of  Noah  floated  over  a  wave-buried  world.  Ere 
Babel's  towering  folly  mocked  the  skies;  ere  wrecked 
was  language  on  confusion's  strand  ;  ere  the  great  river 
of  humanity,  dividing  into  rills,  went  forth  to  water  with 
the  streams  of  life  the  soil  of  every  land. 

Here,  in  the  times  of  restitution,  when  all  things  in 
Christ  are  gathered  in  one,  Adam,  Michael,  the  great 
Prince,  Ancient  of  Days,  is  to  come  in  power  and  glory, 
revisiting  the  scenes  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage. 

America,  the  old  world,  not  the  new!  Cradle  of 
man,  mother  of  nations,  grave  of  empires! 

Unto  Missouri,  land  of  promise ;  the  ancient,  the 
chosen,  the  favored  above  all  other  lands,  had  the  Lord's 
Prophet,  Joseph,  led  His  covenant  people. 

Spring  Hill,  Daviess  County,  Missouri,  one  of  the 
settlements  of  the  Saints  in  this  region,  had  been 

o 

renamed  by  revelation,  Adam-ondi-Ahman,  because,  said 


22O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

the  Lord,  "it  is  the  place  where  Adam  shall  come  to  visit 
his  people,  or  the  Ancient  of  Days  shall  sit,  as  spoken 
of  by  Daniel  the  Prophet." 

.Verily  were  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High  being 
driven  toward  their  destiny.  The  "horn"  that  made  war 
with  them  and  "prevailed  against  them,"  was  surely 
pushing  them  on  to  final  victory.  Was  it  not  destiny, 
too,  that  they  should  thus  retrace  the  steps  of  their  great 
ancestor,  who,  driven  forth  from  Eden,*  dwelt  in  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman  ? 

Heber  was  now  with  his  people  at  Far  West,  in 
"the  land  where  Adam  dwelt,"  ready  to  perform  his 
part  of  the  labor  in  preparing  the  kingdom  of  the  Son 
of  God  for  the  coming  of  the  Ancient  of  Days. 

"Soon  after  my  arrival,"  says  he,  "Bishop  Partridge 
gave  me  a  lot  and  sufficient  lumber  to  build  a  house. 
Charles  Hubbard  made  me  a  present  of  forty  acres  of 
land,  and  another  brother  gave  me  a  cow.  All  the 
brethren  were  remarkably  kind  in  contributing  to  my 
necessities.  About  the  last  of  August,  after  I  had  spent 
much  labor,  and  nearly  finished  my  house,  I  was  obliged 
to  abandon  it  to  the  mob,  who  again  commenced  perse- 
cuting the  Saints,  driving  off  their  cattle  and  destroying 
their  property." 

The  origin  of  this  persecution  was  much  the  same 
as  that  of  the  Jackson  County  trouble,  five  years  before. 
The  thrift  and  enterprise  of  the  Saints,  with  their  grow- 
ing power  and  influence,  had  aroused  the  jealous  fears  of 
their  Gentile  neighbors,  and  what  the  scheming  villainy 
of  political  demagogues  left  undone,  the  malice  of  sec- 
tarian priests  accomplished,  in  kindling  the  wrath  of  the 
ignorant  and  fanatical  against  them. 


*  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  from  whence   the  Saints  were   driven,  is  reputed   to 
be  the  ancient  site  of  the  Garden  of  Eden. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  221 

An  election  riot  in  Gallatin,  Daviess  County,  on  the 
6th  of  August,  1838,  where  a  combined  effort  was  made 
to  prevent  the  Mormons  from  voting",  and  several  of  the 
brethren  were  under  the  necessity  of  using  force  to  de- 
fend themselves  against  their  bullying  assailants,  was 
made  the  pretext  for  further  outrages  against  the  com- 
munity to  which  they  belonged.  The  Saints  in  that  local- 
ity being  helplessly  in  the  minority,  were  at  the  mercy  of 
the  mob  which  now  rose  against  them. 

o 

One  of  the  methods  employed  by  the  leaders  of  the 
lawless  banditti  to  enlist  sympathy  for  their  own  cause, 
and  arouse  the  public  mind  against  their  victims,  was  to 
destroy  property  belonging  to  non-Mormons,  their  own 
followers  in  some  instances,  and  then  ride  through  the 
country  advertising  it  as  the  work  of  Mormons,  against 
whom  any  tale,  however  false  or  atrocious,  was  readily 
believed.  Some  of  the  mob  even  fired  upon  a  church 
while  its  occupants  were  worshiping  on  the  Sabbath 
day,  and  then  spread  the  alarm  that  the  Mormons  had 
"riz"  and  were  destroying  property,  demolishing  churches 
and  interfering  with  free  religious  worship. 

These  atrocious  falsehoods,  worthy  only  of  fiends 
incarnate,  bore  legitimate  fruit  in  deeds  equally  devilish 
and  appalling.  The  people  rose  en  masse ;  the  Saints 
were  driven  from  their  homes,  their  houses  plundered 
and  burned,  their  fields  laid  waste,  and  men,  women  and 
children  fled  for  their  lives  in  all  directions,  pursued  by 
their  merciless  oppressors. 

What  followed,  Heber's  record  thus  relates: 

"  After  hearing  of  the  mobbing,  burning  and  rob- 
bing in  Gallatin,  Daviess  Co.,  and  the  region  round 
about,  the  brethren  of  Caldwell  went  directly  to  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman,  which  is  on  the  west  fork  of  Grand  River. 
Thomas  B.  Marsh,  David  W.  Patten,  Brigham  Young, 


222  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

myself,  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  John  Taylor  amongst  the 
number.  When  we  arrived  there  we  found  the  Prophet 
Joseph,  Hyrum  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon,  with  hundreds 
of  others  of  the  Saints  preparing  to  defend  themselves 
from  the  mob  who  were  threatening  the  destruction  of 
our  people.  Men,  women  and  children  were  fleeing  to 
that  place  for  safety  from  every  direction  ;  their  houses 
and  property  were  burnt  and  they  had  to  flee  half  naked, 
crying,  and  frightened  nigh  unto  death,  to  save  their 
lives. 

"While  there  we  laid  out  a  city  on  a  high  elevated 
piece  of  land,  and  set  the  stakes  for  the  four  corners  of 
a  temple  block,  which  was  dedicated,  Brother  Brigham 
Young  being  mouth ;  there  were  from  three  to  five  hun- 
dred men  present  on  the  occasion,  under  arms.  This 
elevated  spot  was  probably  from  two  hundred  and  fifty 
to  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  Grand  River,  so 
that  one  could  look  east,  west,  north  or  south,  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach ;  it  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
places  I  ever  beheld. 

"The  Prophet  Joseph  called  upon  Brother  Brigham, 
myself  and  others,  saying,  'Brethren,  come,  go  along 
with  me,  and  I  will  show  you  something.'  He  led  us  a 
short  distance  to  a  place  where  were  the  ruins  of  three 
altars  built  of  stone,  one  above  the  other,  and  one  stand- 
ing a  little  back  of  the  other,  like  unto  the  pulpits  in  the 
Kirtland  Temple,  representing  the  order  of  three  grades 
of  Priesthood;  'There,'  said  Joseph,  'is  the  place  where 
Adam  offered  up  sacrifice  after  he  was  cast  out  of  the 
garden.'  The  altar  stood  at  the  highest  point  of  the 
bluff.  I  went  and  examined  the  place  several  times  while 
I  remained  there." 

An  episode  of  peace  in  time  of  war.  A  glimpse  of 
heaven's  blue  through  a  rift  in  the  gathering  storm. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.      KIMBAI.L.  223 

A  fiery  ordeal  was  before  the  Saints.  The  Church, 
tried  with  poverty  and  tempted  by  the  prospect  of  wealth, 
had  survived  and  maintained  its  integrity.  It  had  also 
withstood  the  world's  scorn,  the  wrath  and  ridicule  of  the 
ungodly.  Nor  had  fiery  trials  been  wanting,  whereby 
the  faith  of  some  had  been  proven,  the  supposed  faith  of 
others  weighed  in  the  balance  and  found  wanting.  A 
general  test  was  now  to  be  applied.  The  faith  and  integ- 
grity  of  the  whole  Church  were  about  to  pass  through 
the  fierce  flames  of  affliction ;  between  the  upper  and 
nether  millstones  of  official  tyranny  and  mob  violence. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

TIMES      THAT    TRIED      ME\'s      SOULS THE     MOB      GATHERING 

AGAINST      FAR      WEST I5ATTLE     OF      CROOKED      RIVER- 
DEATH   OF     DAVID  W.    PATTEN DAN'S  OF     DARKNESS     AND 

DISASTER. 

THE  fall  and  winter  of  1838  was  one  of  the  darkest 
periods  in  Church  history.  Mobocracy  on  one  hand, 
and  apostasy  on  the  other,  dealt  the  cause  of  God  cruel 
blows,  such  as  no  human  work  could  hope  to  withstand. 
The  tempest  of  persecution,  briefly  lulled,  burst  forth 
with  tenfold  fury;  no  longer  a  city  or  county — a  whole 
state  rose  in  arms  against  God's  people,  bent  upon  their 
destruction.  "The  clogs  of  war"  were  loosed  upon  the 
helpless  Saints,  and  murder  and  rapine  held  high  carnival 
amid  the  smoking  ruins  of  peaceful  homes  and  ravaged 
fields. 


224  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KTMBALL. 

Then  fell  the  mask  from  the  face  of  hypocrisy. 
Treason  betrayed  itself.  Apostles,  Presidents,  and 
Elders  fell  from  the  faith  and  joined  hands  with  the 
robbers  and  murderers  of  their  brethren.  Satan 
laughed !  The  very  mouth  of  hell  seemed  opening  to 
engulf  the  Kingdom  which  He  who  cannot  lie  has  sworn 
shall  stand  forever. 

Truly,  those  were  ''times  that  tried  men's  souls." 

Like  a  rock  in  mid-ocean,  facing  the  storm,  unmoved 
by  wind  or  wave,  stood  Heber  C.  Kimball ;  among  the 
truest  true,  among  the  bravest  brave. 

Referring  to  the  time  of  his  visit  to  Adam-ondi- 
Ahman,  he  says : 

"In  a  few  days  an  express  came  with  the  news  that  the 
mob  was  gathering  in  every  part  of  Missouri  to  come 
against  the  Saints  in  Far  West.  We  therefore  returned 
to  Caldwell  County. 

"Thomas  B.  Marsh  left  the  day  previous  to  the  rest 
of  the  Twelve,  pretending  there  was  something  very 
urgent  at  home,  and  when  we  arrived  at  Far  West,  Oct- 
ober 22nd,  we  learned  that  he  and  Orson  Hyde  had  left 
the  city.  Brother  Hyde  was  sick  when  we  went  to  Diah- 
man. 

"The  Saints,  tenacious  of  their  liberties  and  sacred 
rights,  resisted  the  unlawful  designs  of  the  mob,  and  with 
courage  worthy  of  them  guarded  their  families  and  their 
houses  from  their  aggressions.  But  not  without  the  loss 
of  several  lives,  among  whom  was  my  much  esteemed 
and  lamented  friend  David  W.  Patten,  who  fell  a  sacrifice 
to  the  spirit  of  persecution  and  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of 
truth.  The  circumstances  of  his  death  I  will  briefly 
relate. 

"It  being  ascertained  that  a  mob  had  collected  on 
Crooked  River,  led  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Bogard,  a  Metho- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  225 

dist  preacher,  a  company  of  sixty  or  seventy  persons 
immediately  volunteered  in  Far  West  to  watch  their 
movements,  and  if  necessary  repel  their  attacks.  They 
chose  Elder  Patten  for  their  leader,  and  commenced  their 
march  about  midnight,  and  came  up  to  the  mob  at  the 
dawn  of  October  25th.  As  the  brethren  were  marching 
quietly  along  the  road  near  the  top  of  the  hill,  they  were 
fired  upon,  when  young  O'Banyon  reeled  out  of  the 
ranks,  and  fell  mortally  wounded.  Thus  the  work  of 
death  commenced,  when  Captain  Patten  ordered  his  men 
to  charge  the  mob,  who  proved  to  be  on  the  creek  below. 
It  was  yet  so  dark  that  little  could  be  seen,  looking  to 
the  west;  but  the  mob  could  see  Captain  Patten  and  his 
men  in  the  dawning  light,  when  they  fired  a  broadside  and 
three  or  four  of  the  brethren  fell.  Captain  Patten  ordered 
the  fire  returned,  giving  the  watchword,  'God  and  Lib- 
erty.' The  brethren  charged  the  camp,  when  the  mob 
were  soon  put  to  (light  and  crossed  the  river  at  the  ford. 
One  of  the  mob  fired  from  behind  a  tree,  and  shot  Cap- 
tain Patten,  who  instantly  fell  mortally  wounded,  the  ball 
having  pierced  his  abdomen. 

"Immediately  on  receiving  the  intelligence  that 
Brother  Patten  was  wounded,  I  hastened  to  see  him 
and  found  him  in  great  pain,  but  still  he  was  glad  to  see 
me  ;  he  was  conveyed  about  four  miles  to  the  house  of 
Brother  Stephen  Winchester;  during  his  removal  his 
sufferings  were  so  excruciating  that  he  frequently  desired 
us  to  lay  him  down  that  he  mi^ht  die  ;  but  being-  desirous 

*  c!>  O 

to  get  him  out  of  the  reach  of  the  mob,  we  prevailed 
upon  him  to  let  us  carry  him  among  his  friends.  We 
carried  him  on  a  kind  of  bier,  fixed  up  from  poles. 

"Although  he  had  medical  assistance,  his  wound  was 
such  that  there  was  no  hope  entertained  of  his  recovery, 
and  this  he  was  perfectly  aware  of.  In  this  situation, 


226  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

while  the  shades  of  time  were  lowering,  and  eternity 
with  all  its  realities  opening  to  his  view,  he  bore  a  strong 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
religion  he  had  espoused.  He  was  perfectly  sensible 
and  collected  until  he  breathed  his  last,  which  occurred 
at  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Stephen  Winchester, 
Brother  Patten's  wife,  Bathsheba  W.  Bigler,  with  several 
of  her  father's  family  were  present  at  David's  death. 

"The  principles  of  the  Gospel  which  were  so  pre- 
cious to  him  before,  afforded  him  that  support  and  con- 
solation at  the  time  of  his  departure,  which  deprived 
death  of  its  sting  and  horror.  Speaking  of  those  who 
had  fallen  from  their  steadfastness  he  exclaimed,  '  O  that 
they  were  in  my  situation !  For  I  feel  that  I  have  kept 
the  faith,  I  have  finished  my  course,  henceforth  there  is 
laid  up  for  me  a  crown,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous 
Judge,  will  give  me.'  Speaking  to  his  beloved  wife,  he 
said,  'whatever  you  do  else,  O  do  not  deny  the  faith.' 
He  all  the  time  expressed  a  great  desire  to  depart.  I 
said  to  him  '  Brother  David,  when  you  get  home,  I  want 
you  to  remember  me.'  He  replied,  *  I  will.'  At  this 
time  his  sight  was  gone.  A  few  minutes  before  he  died, 
he  prayed  as  follows,  'Father,  I  ask  Thee  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  that  Thou  wouldst  release  my  spirit,  and 
receive  it  unto  Thyself.'  And  he  then  said  to  those  who 
surrounded  his  dying  bed,  '  Brethren,  you  have  held  me 
by  your  faith,  but  do  give  me  up,  and  let  me  go,  I  beseech 
you.'  We  accordingly  committed  him  to  God,  and  he 
soon  breathed  his  last,  and  slept  in  Jesus  without  a  groan. 

"This  was  the  death  of  one  who  was  an  honor  to 
the  Church  and  a  blessing  to  the  Saints  ;  and  whose  faith, 
virtues  and  diligence  in  the  cause  of  truth  will  be  had  in 
remembrance  by  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  from  genera- 
tion to  generation.  It  was  a  painful  way  to  be  deprived 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  22  / 

of  the  labors  of  this  worthy  servant  of  Christ,  and  it  cast 
a  gloom  upon  the  Saints ;  yet  the  glorious  and  sealing 
testimony  which  he  bore  of  his  acceptance  with  heaven 
and  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  was  a  matter  of  joy  and 
satisfaction,  not  only  to  his  immediate  friends,  but  to  the 
Saints  at  large. 

"I  took  Dr.  Avard  with  me  to  Far  West,  a  distance 
of  three  miles,  to  Elder  Rigdon's  house,  where  we  found 
Brother  Patrick  O'Banyon,  who  was  wounded  in  nearly 
the  same  manner  as  Brother  Patten.  He  also  died  in  a 
short  time,  firm  and  steadfast  in  the  faith.  He  was  per- 
fectly calm  and  composed,  and  bore  a  strong  testimony 
to  the  truth  of  Mormonism. 

''Gideon  Carter,  who  was  also  a  faithful  Saint,  was 
shot  in  the  head,  and  left  dead  on  the  ground,  so  defaced 
that  the  brethren  did  not  at  first  know  him. 

"This  was  a  gloomy  time!" 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

THE      FALL     OF      FAR     WEST JOSEPH      AND      HIS     BRETHREN 

BETRAYED  TO  THE  ENEMY HEBER  FACING  THE  TRAITORS 

—HIS  FEARLESS  DENUNCIATION  AND  FIRM  TESTIMONY 

ATROCITIES       OF      THE       MOB HEBER' S      PROPHECY       OF 

RETRIBUTION HE    VISITS  THE    PROPHET    IN    RICHMOND 

JAIL. 

THE  thunder-cloud  of  war  now  rolled  upon  the 
doomed  city  of  Far  West.  Heber's  narrative  continues: 

"On  the  30th  we  discovered  several  thousand  of 
the  mob  coming  to  Far  West,  under  pretence  of  being 
government  troops ;  they  passed  through  our  corn  and 
wheat  fields,  making  a  complete  desolation  of  everything 
they  came  across. 

"Brother  Brigham  and  I  were  appointed  captains 
of  fifty,  in  a  hurry,  and  commanded  to  take  our  position, 
right  in  the  thoroughfare  on  which  the  mob  was  advanc- 
ing to  the  city,  momentarily  anticipating  the  awful 
tragedy  of  a  bloody  massacre.  Joseph  was  with  us 
giving  counsel. 

uThe  army  came  up  to  within  good  rifle  shot,  and 
halted ;  seeing  our  temporary  fortifications,  which  we 
had  thrown  up  the  night  previous,  by  pulling  down  some 
of  our  houses,  and  fixing  up  our  wagons  ;  they  dared 
not  approach  nearer,  but  retreated  to  Goose  Creek,  about 
three-fourths  of  a  mile,  screaming,  hallooing  and  screech- 
ing ;  the  devils  in  hell  could  not  have  made  a  more 
hideous  howling.  The  mob  declared  there  were  fifteen 
hundred  of  us  ;  but  to  my  certain  knowledge  there  were 
only  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  that  line. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  22Q 

"The  word  came  to  us  that  Joseph  Smith  and 
several  others  were  to  be  given  up,  otherwise  they  would 
massacre  every  man,  woman  and  child.  In  order  to 
prevent  this  horrible  threat  from  being  executed,  Joseph 
gave  himself  up,  with  Elders  Sidney  Rigdon,  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  Lyman  Wight,  and  George  W.  Robinson,  they 
having  been  betrayed  into  the  mob  camp  by  Col. 
George  M.  Hinkle  and  other  apostates,  on  the  3ist  of 
October. 

"  November  ist,  the  mob,  professing  to  be  the 
regular  militia  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  numbering 
about  7,000,  surrounded  Far  West,  we  were  all  taken 
prisoners  and  then  marched  a  short  distance  into  a  hol- 
low, where  Col.  Lucas  had  previously  pointed  his  cannon, 
in  full  range,  so  that  if  we  had  not  laid  down  our  arms, 
he  could  easily  sweep  us  into  eternity,  which  was  his 
design.  We  were  then  formed  into  a  hollow  square, 
and  commanded  by  Col.  Lucas  to  ground  arms  and  deliver 
up  our  weapons  of  war,  although  they  were  our  own 
private  property.  We  were  then  marched  back  a  short 
distance,  on  the  public  square  in  Far  West,  where  we 
were  again  formed  into  a  hollow  square,  near  the  house 
of  Brother  Beeman. 

''The  mob  then  commenced  plundering  the  citizens 
of  their  bedding,  clothing,  money,  wearing  apparel,  and 
everything  of  value  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon  ;  and 
also  attempting  to  violate  the  chastity  of  the  women  in 
sight  of  their  husbands,  pretending  they  were  hunting 
for  prisoners  and  fire-arms. 

"The  most  of  us  had  not  had  any  food  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  not  having  time  to  go  to  our  houses  to  get 
it.  When  these  troops  surrounded  us,  and  we  were 
brought  into  a  hollow  square,  the  first  persons  that  I 
knew  were  men  who  had  once  professed  to  be  beloved 


230  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

brethren,  and  they  were  the  men  who  piloted  these  mobs 
into  our  city,  namely  William  McLellin  and  Lyman  E. 
Johnson,  two  of  the  twelve  ;  John  Whitmer  and  David 
Whitmer,  two  of  the  witnesses  to  the  Book  of  Mormon  ; 
William  W.  Phelps  and  scores  of  others,  hail  fellows  well 
met.  A  portion  of  the  troops  were  painted  like  Indians, 
and  looked  horrible,  led  by  Neil  Gillium,  who  styled  him- 
self 'The  Delaware  Chief;'  who,  with  many  others 
cocked  their  guns  upon  us  and  swore  they  would  blow 
our  brains  out,  although  we  were  disarmed  and  helpless. 

'•William  E.  McLellin  wanted  to  know  where  Heber 
C.  Kimball  was.  Some  one  pointed  me  out  to  him  as  I 
was  sitting  on  the  ground.  He  came  up  to  me  and  said: 
'Brother  Heber,  what  do  you  think  of  the  fallen  prophet 
now  ?  Has  he  not  led  you  blindfolded  long  enough  ? 
Look  and  see  yourself,  poor,  your  family  stripped  and 
robbed,  and  your  brethren  in  the  same  fix  ;  are  you 
satisfied  with  Joseph?'  I  replied,  'Yes,  I  am  more  satis- 
fied with  him  a  hundred  fold  than  ever  I  was  before,  for 
I  see  you  in  the  very  position  that  he  foretold  you  would 
be  in  ;  a  Judas  to  betray  your  brethren,  if  you  did  not 
forsake  your  adultery,  fornication,  lying  and  abomina- 
tions. Where  are  you  ?  What  are  you  about  ?  You, 
and  Hinkle,  and  scores  of  others  ;  have  you  not  betrayed 
Joseph  and  his  brethren  into  the  hands  of  the  mob,  as 
Judas  did  Jesus  ?  Yes,  verily,  you  have ;  I  tell  you 
Mormonism  is  true,  and  Joseph  is  a  true  prophet  of  the 
living  God  ;  and  you  with  all  others  that  turn  therefrom 
will  be  damned  and  go  to  hell,  and  Judas  will  rule  over 
you.' 

"Soon  after  this,  when  things  began  to  be  a  little 
more  quiet,  I  desired  to  go  to  my  home  to  get  something 
to  eat  as  I  had  not  eaten  anything  for  many  hours.  I 
asked  some  of  the  mob  standing  near,  if  I  could  not  have 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  231 

the  privilege  to  go  to  my  house,  a  little  distance  off ; 
they  referred  me  to  their  captain,  who  was  Bogard,  the 
Methodist  preacher.  I  went  to  him  and  told  him  what  I 
wanted.  He  first  spoke  of  sending  some  one  with  me, 
as  I  would  be  liable  to  be  shot  if  found  alone.  In  a 
short  time  says  he,  4I  will  go  with  you.'  He  went  down 
to  my  house  ;  my  wife  prepared  some  dinner,  and  he 
ate  with  me  ;  then  we  returned,  and  I  took  my  seat  on 
the  ground  with  my  brethren  who  were  under  guard. 

"The  next  day,  2nd,  I  was  permitted  to  return  to 
my  house,  but  was  told  not  to  leave  the  city,  as  it  was 
surrounded  by  a  strong  guard  to  prohibit  anyone  leaving 
the  place  ;  they  were  engaged  in  taking  every  man  who 
seemed  to  have  any  influence,  and  putting  them  in  chains 
to  stand  a  trial.  They  were  pointed  out  by  the  apostate 
allies  of  the  mob. 

"We  were  brought  up  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet 
and  compelled  to  sign  a  deed  of  trust,  transferring  all 
our  property  to  defray  the  expenses  of  this  war  made  on 
us  by  the  State  of  Missouri.  This  was  complied  with, 
because  we  could  not  help  ourselves.  When  we  walked 
up  to  sign  the  deeds  of  trust  to  pay  these  assassins  for 
murdering  our  brethren  and  sisters,  and  their  children  ; 
ravishing  some  of  our  sisters  to  death  ;  robbing  us  of  our 
lands  and  possessions  and  all  we  had  on  earth,  and  other 
similar  "services,"  they  expected  to  see  us  cast  down 
and  sorrowful,  but  I  testify  as  an  eye  witness  that  the 
brethren  rejoiced  and  praised  the  Lord,  for  His  sake 
taking  joyfully  the  despoiling  of  their  goods.  Judges  and 
magistrates,  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  Campbellite  and 
other  sectarian  priests  stood  by  and  saw  all  this  going 
on,  exulting  over  us,  and  it  seemed  to  make  them  more 
angry  that  we  bore  our  misfortunes  so  cheerfully.  Judge 
Cameron  said,  with  an  oath,  'See  them  laugh  and 


232  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

kick  up    their    heels.       They     are     whipped,     but    not 
conquered.' 

4 'On  the  6th,  Gen.  Clark  delivered  his  noted  exter- 
mination speech,  and  read  over  the  names  of  the 
brethren  who  were  made  prisoners,  to  await  a  trial  for 
something,  they  knew  not  what,  and  placed  under  a 
strong  guard.  In  order  that  the  tyrant  may  not  be  for- 
gotten I  insert  a  portion  of  his  speech  : 

''Gentlemen,  you  whose  names  are  not  attached  to 
this  list  of  names,  will  now  have  the  privilege  of 
going  to  your  fields  and  of  providing  corn,  wood, 
etc.,  for  your  families.  Those  who  are  now  taken 
will  go  from  this  to  prison,  be  tried  and  receive 
the  due  demerit  of  their  crimes.  But  you  (except- 
ing such  as  charges  may  be  hereafter  preferred 
against)  are  at  liberty  as  soon  as  the  troops  are  removed 
that  now  guard  the  place,  which  I  shall  cause  to  be  done 
immediately.  It  now  devolves  upon  you  to  fulfill  the 
treaty  that  you  have  entered  into,  the  leading  items  of 
which  I  shall  now  lay  before  you. 

"The  first  requires  that  your  leading  men  be  given 
up  to  be  tried  according  to  law ;  this  you  have  com- 
plied with. 

"The  second  is  that  you  deliver  up  your  arms — this 
has  also  been  attended  to.  The  third  stipulation  is  that 
you  sign  over  your  properties  to  defray  the  expenses 
that  have  been  incurred  on  your  account ;  this  you  have 
also  done.  Another  article  yet  remains  for  you  to 
comply  with,  and  that  is,  that  you  leave  the  State  forth- 
with ;  and  whatever  may  be  your  feelings  concerning 
this,  or  whatever  your  innocence  is,  it  is  nothing  to  me. 
General  Lucas  (whose  military  rank  is  equal  to  mine) 
has  made  this  treaty  with  you,  and  I  approve  of  it.  I 
should  have  done  the  same  had  I  been  here,  and  am 
therefore  determined  to  see  it  executed. 

"The  character  of  this  State  has  suffered  almost 
beyond  redemption,  from  the  character,  conduct  and 
influence  that  you  have  exerted  ;  and  we  deem  it  an  act 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  233 

of  justice  to  restore  her  character  by  every  proper 
means. 

"The  order  of  the  Governor  to  me  was  that  you 
should  be  exterminated,  and  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
State.  And  had  not  your  leaders  been  given  up,  and 
the  terms  of  the  treaty  complied  with  before  this  time, 
your  families  would  have  been  destroyed  and  your  houses 
in  ashes. 

"There  is  a  discretionary  power  vested  in  my  hands, 
which,  considering  your  circumstances,  I  shall  exercise 
for  a  season.  You  are  indebted  to  me  for  this  clemency. 
I  do  not  say  that  you  shall  go  now,  but  you  must  not 
think  of  staying  here  another  season,  or  of  putting  in  any 
crops  ;  for  the  moment  you  do  this  the  citizens  will  be 
upon  you  ;  and  if  I  am  called  here  again,  in  case  of  non- 
compliance  with  the  treaty  made,  do  not  think  I  shall  act 
as  I  have  done  now.  You  need  not  expect  any  mercy, 
but  extermination,  for  J  am  determined  the  Governor  s 
order  shall  be  executed. 

"As  for  your  leaders,  do  not  think,  do  not  imagine 
for  a  moment,  do  not  let  it  enter  your  minds  that  they 
will  be  delivered  and  restored  to  you  again,  for  theiry#fc 
is  fixed,  the  die  is  cast,  their  doom  is  sealed. 

"lam  sorry,  gentlemen,  to  see  so  many  apparently 
intelligent  men  found  in  the  situation  that  you  are;  and 
oh !  if  I  could  invoke  that  great  Spirit  of  the  unknown 
God  to  rest  upon  and  deliver  you  from  that  awful  chain 
of  superstition,  and  liberate  you  from  those  fetters  of 
fanaticism  with  which  you  are  bound — that  you  no  longer 
do  homage  to  a  man. 

"I  would  advise  you  to  scatter  abroad  and  never  again 
organize  yourselves  with  Bishops,  Priests,  etc.,  lest  you 
excite  the  jealousies  of  the  people  and  subject  yourselves 
to  the  same  calamities  that  have  now  come  upon  you. 

"You  have  always  been  the  aggressors,  you  have 
brought  upon  yourselves  these  difficulties,  by  being  dis- 
affected, and  not  being  subject  to  rule,  and  my  advice  is, 
that  you  become  as  other  citizens,  lest  by  a  recurrence 
of  these  events  you  bring  upon  yourselves  irretrievable 
ruin." 


234  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"He  also  said  :  "You  must  not  be  seen  as  many  as 
five  together,  if  you  are,  the  citizens  will  be  upon  you 
and  destroy  you,  but  you  should  flee  immediately  out  of 
the  state.  There  is  no  alternative  for  you  but  to  flee, 
you  need  not  expect  any  redress  ;  there  is  none  for  you." 

"I  was  present,"  continues  Heber,  "when  that  speech 
was  delivered,  and  I  can  truly  say  '  he  is  a  liar  and  the  truth 
is  not  in  him/  for  not  one  of  us  had  made  any  such 
agreement  with  Lucas,  or  any  other  person  ;  what  we 
did  was  by  compulsion  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  and 
as  for  Gen.  Clark  and  his  'unknown  God,'  they  had 
nothing  to  do  with  our  deliverance,  but  it  was  our 
Father  in  heaven,  the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of 
Jacob,  in  whom  we  trust,  who  liveth  and  dwelleth  in  the 
heavens,  and  the  day  will  come  when  our  God  will  hold 
him  in  derision  with  all  his  coadjutors." 

"Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon,  Hyrum  Smith,  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  Lyman  Wight,  Amasa  Lyman  and  George  W. 
Robinson  were  marched  off  for  Independence,  Jackson 
County.  It  was  rumored  that  all  of  the  men  who  were 
in  the  Crooked  River  battle  would  be  taken  prisoners, 
therefore  many  of  them  fled  to  the  north,  before  the 
guards  were  placed  around  the  city. 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  I  would  also  have  been  taken 
a  prisoner,  for  every  means  was  adopted  by  Hinkle  to 
have  me  taken,  but  he  could  not  remember  me.  The 
mob  had  not  become  acquainted  with  Brother  Brigham, 
as  he  lived  three  or  four  miles  from  the  city  on  Mill 
Creek ;  and  I  had  not  been  there  over  three  weeks  when 
the  mobbing  commenced,  and  was  only  known  by  the 
brethren,  and  many  of  them  I  had  not  seen  since  my 
arrival." 

Heber's  wonderful  influence  over  men,  that  power 
of  controlling  and  subduing  their  passions  which  won 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  235 

for  him  from  the  Prophet  Joseph  the  surname  of 
''peace-maker,"  here  found  an  opportunity  for  its  exer- 
cise. 

"One  afternoon,"  says  he,  "I  sent  my  son  William 
on  an  errand,  a  short  distance,  when  one  of  the  guards 
drew  up  his  rifle  and  threatened  to  blow  out  his  brains  if 
he  stepped  one  inch  further  towards  the  house.  Through 
the  agency  ot  some  of  my  brethren  I  was  notified  of  it. 
I  went  to  the  man  and  spoke  to  him  in  a  friendly  manner, 
and  conversed  with  him  about  the  beautiful  country,  it 
being  more  beautiful  than  England  and  the  nations  I  had 
been  traveling  in.  He  became  very  much  interested; 
in  a  short  time  I  pointed  out  my  son  William  ;  says  I, 
'that  is  my  son.'  He  said,  'if  that  is  one  of  your  sons, 
he  may  pass,  he  may  go  home;'  afterwards  the  man 
came  to  my  house  several  times  and  became  very  friendly. 

"I  merely  mention  this,  to  show  the  perils  we  were 
in,  men,  women  and  children ;  death  .and  destruction 
waiting  on  us;  and  this  spirit  aroused  by  apostates  such 
as.Hinkle,  who  sold  Joseph  and  his  brethren,  and  actually 
received  money  for  betraying  them. 

"The  murders,  house-burnings,  robberies,  rapes, 
drivings,  whippings,  imprisonments,  and  other  sufferings 
and  cruelties  inflicted  upon  the  people  of  God,  under 
the  illegal  orders  of  Missouri's  Executive,  have  only  in 
part  been  laid  before  the  world,  and  form  a  page  in  his- 
tory unsurpassed  and  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  religi- 
ous persecution — that  foulest  of  all  crimes.  This  historic 
page  alone  can  credit  Lilburn  W.  Boggs  and  his  minions 
with  feeding  the  ministers  of  the  proscribed  religion  on 
the  flesh  of  their  murdered  brethren  ;  the  odium  of  which 
is  fully  shared  by  the  ministers  of  different  denominations 
who  participated  in  these  vile  atrocities.  If  hell  can  fur- 
nish a  parallel  where  is  it? 


236  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"  I  have  not  the  ability  to  write  what  I  saw  and  felt 
and  realized,  but  will  leave  it  to  eternity  to  reveal  the 
scenes  of  those  days.  I  can  say  before  God,  angels, 
heaven  and  earth,  that  I  am  innocent  of  violating  any 
law  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  my  brethren  are  equally 
innocent  and  virtuous,  true  to  their  God  and  their  country. 

"The  measure  they  meted  to  the  Latter-day  Saints 
shall  be  measured  to  them  again,  and  upon  all  those  who 
had  a  hand  in  our  persecution  and  expulsion,  and  those 
who  consented  to  it,  fouf-fold,  full,  running  over,  and 
pressed  down ;  and  AS  THE  LORD  GOD  ALMIGHTY  LIVETH, 

I  SHALL  LIVE  TO  SEE  IT  COME  TO  PASS  !  * 

"After  the  mob  departed,  I  accompanied  Brother 
Brigham  to  Richmond  jail,  to  see  our  brethren.  We 
found  Joseph,  Hyrum,  Sidney  and  others  chained  togeth- 
er in  one  room,  and  others  confined  in  other  places, 
amongst  the  most  dissolute  asociations.  We  scarcely 
had  the  privilege  of  speaking  to  our  brethren  more  than 
to  say,  'how  do  you  do,'  every  eye  being  upon  us  in  sus- 
picion. We  put  up  at  a  public  house  for  the  night,  and 
I  bear  testimony,  from  our  feelings  and  the  spirit  mani- 
fested in  that  house,  that  there  were  legions  of  devils 
present;  I  do  not  remember  that  either  of  us  slept  any 
that  night. 

"November  2Qth,  the  brethren  were  removed  to 
Liberty  Jail,  in  Clay  County,  and  put  in  close  confine- 
ment.'1 


*  During  the  great  Civil  War  (1861-65)  this  region  was  literally  baptized  in  fire  and 
blood. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

MEMORIAL    TO    THE    MISSOURI     LEGISLATURE A    CHAPTER    OF 

INFAMY HOW    MISSOURI    REDRESSED    THE     WRONGS    OF 

THE  SUFFERING  SAINTS — BRIGHAM  AND   HEBER  SETTING 
IN  ORDER  THE  CHURCH ARRANGING    FOR    THE  EXODUS. 

THE  brethren  who  retained  their  liberty  addressed 
a  memorial  to  the  Missouri  Legislature,  setting  forth  the 

o  o 

wrongs  that  the  Saints  had  suffered  in  that  state,  and 
humbly  petitioning  for  redress  of  grievances.  As  a  con- 
cise statement  of  the  Missouri  persecutions,  with  much 
of  which  the  history  of  Heber  C.  Kimball  is  identified, 
and  himself  being  one  of  the  signers  of  the  document, 
it  is  here  given  a  place  in  this  volume: 

"We,  the  undersigned  petitioners  and  inhabitants  of 
Caldwell  County,  Missouri,  in  consequence  of  the  late 
calamity  that  has  come  upon  us,  taken  in  connection  with 
former  afflictions,  feel  it  a  duty  we  owe  to  ourselves  and 
our  country  to  lay  our  case  before  your  honorable  body 
for  consideration. 

"It  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  a  society  of  our  peo- 
ple commenced  settling  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  in 
the  summer  of  1831,  where  they,  according  to  their 
ability,  purchased  lands  and  settled  upon  them,  with  the 
intention  and  expectation  of  becoming  permanent  citizens 
in  common  with  others. 

"  Soon  after  the  settlement  began,  persecutions 
began  ;  and  as  the  society  increased  persecution  also 
increased,  until  the  society  at  last  was  compelled  to  leave 
the  county ;  and  although  an  account  of  these  persecu- 
tions has  been  published  to  the  world,  yet  we  feel  that  it 
will  not  be  improper  to  notice  a  few  of  the  most  prom- 
inent items  in  this  Memorial. 


238  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"On  the  2Oth  of  July,  1833,  a  mob  convened  at 
Independence,  a  committee  of  which  called  upon  a  few 
of  the  men  of  our  Church  there,  and  stated  to  them  that 
the  store,  printing  office,  and  indeed  all  other  mechanic 
shops  must  be  closed  forthwith  and  the  society  leave  the 
county  immediately. 

"These  propositions  were  so  unexpected  that  a  cer- 
tain time  was  asked  for  to  consider  the  subject,  before 
an  answer  should  be  returned,  which  was  refused,  and 
our  men  being  individually  interrogated,  each  one 
answered  that  he  could  not  consent  to  comply  with  their 
propositions.  One  of  the  mob  replied  that  he  was  sorry, 
for  the  work  of  destruction  would  commence  immediately. 
In  a  short  time  the  printing  office,  which  was  a  two-story 
building,  was  assailed  by  the  mob  and  soon  thrown  down, 
and  with  it  much  valuable  property  destroyed.  Next 
they  went  to  the  store  for  the  same  purpose ;  but  Mr. 
Gilbert,  one  of  the  owners,  agreeing  to  close  it,  they 
abandoned  their  design.  Their  next  move  was  the  drag- 
ging of  Bishop  Partridge  from  his  house  and  family  to 
the  public  square,  where,  surrounded  by  hundreds,  they 
partially  stripped  him  of  his  clothes,  and  tarred  and 
feathered  him  from  head  to  foot.  A  man  by  the  name 
of  Allen  was  also  tarred  at  the  same  time.  This  was 
Saturday  and  the  mob  agreed  to  meet  the  following 
Tuesday,  to  accomplish  their  purpose  of  driving  or  mas- 
sacreing  the  society. 

"Tuesday  came,  and  the  mob  came  also,  bearing  with 
them  a  red  flag  in  token  of  blood.  Some  two  or  three 
of  the  principal  men  of  the  society,  offered  their  lives  if 
that  would  appease  the  wrath  of  the  mob,  so  that  the 
rest  of  the  society  might  dwell  in  peace  upon  their  lands. 
The  answer  was  that  unless  the  Society  would  leave  en 
masse,  every  man  should  die  for  himself.  Being  in  a 
defenseless  situation,  to  save  a  general  massacre,  it  was 
agreed  one  half  of  the  society  should  leave  the  county 
by  the  ist  of  January,  and  the  remainder  by  the  first  of 
the  following  April.  A  treaty  was  entered  into  and  rati- 
fied and  all  things  went  on  smoothly  for  awhile.  But 
some  time  in  October,  the  wrath  of  the  mob  began  again 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  239 

to  be  kindled,  insomuch  that  they  shot  at  some  of  our 
people,  whipped  others,  and  threw  down  their  houses 
and  committed  many  other  depredations ;  indeed  the 
society  of  Saints  were  harassed  for  some  time  both  day 
and  night,  Their  houses  were  brick-batted  and  broken 
open,  women  and  children  insulted,  etc. 

"The  store-house  of  A.  S.  Gilbert  and  Co.  was  broken 
open,  ransacked  and  some  of  the  goods  strewed  in  the 
streets. 

"These  abuses,  with  many  others  of  a  very  aggra- 
vated nature,  so  stirred  up  the  indignant  feelings  of  our 
people,  that  when  a  party  of  them,  say  about  thirty,  met  a 
company  of  the  mob  of  about  double  their  number,  a 
skirmish  took  place,  in  which  some  two  or  three  of  the 
mob,  and  one  of  our  people  were  killed.  This  raised, 
as  it  were,  the  whole  country  in  arms,  and  nothing  would 
satisfy  them  but  the  immediate  surrender  of  the  arms  of 
our  people,  and  they  forthwith  to  leave  the  county. 
Fifty-one  guns  were  given  up,  which  have  never  been 
returned  or  paid  for,  to  this  day. 

"The  next  day  parties  of  the  mob,  from  fifty  to 
seventy,  headed  by  priests,  went  from  house  to  house, 
threatening  women  and  children  with  death  if  they  were 
not  off  before  they  returned.  This  so  alarmed  them 
that  they  fled  in  different  directions  :  some  took  shelter 
in  the  woods,  while  others  wandered  on  the  prairies  till 
their  feet  bled.  In  the  meantime,  the  weather  being 
very  cold,  their  sufferings  in  other  respects  were  very 
great. 

"The  society  made  their  escape  to  Clay  County  as 
fast  as  they  possibly  could,  where  the  people  received 
them  kindly  and  administered  to  their  wants.  After  the 
society  had  left  Jackson  County,  their  buildings,  amount- 
ing to  about  two  hundred,  were  either  burned  or 
otherwise  destroyed ;  and  much  of  their  crops,  as  well  as 
furniture,  stock  etc.,  which  if  properly  estimated  would 
make  a  large  sum,  for  which  they  have  not  as  yet 
received  any  remuneration. 

"The  .Society  remained  in  Clay  County  nearly  three 
years,  when  at  the  suggestion  of  the  people  there,  they 


240  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

removed  to  that  section  of  the  country  known  now  as  Cald- 
well  County.  Here  the  people  purchased  out  most  of  the 
former  inhabitants,  and  also  entered  much  of  the  wild 
land.  Many  soon  owned  a  number  of  eighties,  while 
there  was  scarcely  a  man  that  did  not  secure  to  himself 
at  least  a  forty. 

"There  we  were  permitted  to  enjoy  peace  for  a 
season ;  but  as  our  society  increased  in  numbers  and 
settlements  were  made  in  Daviess  and  Carroll  Counties, 
the  mob  spirit  spread  itself  again. 

"For  months  previous  to  our  giving  up  our  arms  to 
General  Lucas'  army,  we  heard  little  else  than  rumors 
of  mobs  collecting  in  different  places,  and  threatening 
our  people.  It  is  well  known  that  the  people  of  our 
Church,  who  had  located  themselves  at  De  Witt,  had  to 
give  up  to  a  mob,  and  leave  the  place,  notwithstanding 
the  militia  were  called  out  for  their  protection. 

"From  De  Witt  the  mob  wrent  towards  Daviess 
County,  and  while  on  their  way  there  took  two  of  our 
men  prisoners  and  made  them  ride  upon  the  cannon, 
and  told  them  they  would  drive  the  Mormons  from 
Daviess  to  Caldwell  and  from  Caldwell  to  hell,  and  that 
they  would  give  them  no  quarter,  only  at  the  cannon's 
mouth.  The  threats  of  the  mob  induced  some  of  our 
people  to  go  to  Daviess  to  help  to  protect  their  brethren, 
who  had  settled  at  Diahman  on  Grand  river.  The  mob 
soon  fled  from  Daviess  County  ;  and  after  they  were 
dispersed  and  the  cannon  taken,  during  which  time  no 
blood  was  shed,  the  people  of  Caldwell  returned  to  their 
homes,  in  hope  of  enjoying  peace  and  quiet  ;  but  in  this 
they  were  disappointed,  for  a  large  mob  was  soon  found 
to  be  collecting  on  the  Grindstone  forks  of  Grand  River, 
from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  off,  under  the  command  of 
Cornelius  Gillium,  a  scouting  party  of  which  came  within 
four  miles  of  Far  West  and  drove  off  stock  belonging  to 
our  people  in  open  day  light. 

"About  this  time  word  came  to  Far  West,  that  a 
party  of  the  mob  had  come  into  Caldwell  County  to  the 
south  of  Far  West,  and  were  taking  horses  and  cattle, 
burning  houses  and  ordering  inhabitants  to  leave  their 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  241 

homes  immediately ;  and  that  they  had  then  actually  in 
their  possession  three  men  prisoners.  This  report 
reached  Far  West  in  the  evening  and  was  confirmed 
about  midnight.  A  company  of  about  sixty  men  went 
forth  under  the  command  of  David  W.  Patten  to 
disperse  the  mob  as  they  supposed.  A  battle  was 
the  result,  in  which  Captain  Patten  and  two  of  his 
men  were  killed  and  others  wounded.  Bogart,  it 
appears,  had  but  one  killed  and  others  wounded.  Not- 
withstanding the  unlawful  acts  committed  by  Captain 
Bogart's  men  previous  to  the  battle,  it  is  now  asserted 
and  claimed  that  he  was  regularly  ordered  out  as  a  militia 
captain  to  preserve  the  peace  along  the  line  of  Ray  and 
Caldwell  Counties.  That  battle  was  fought  four  or  five 

o 

days  previous  to  the  arrival  of  General  Lucas  and  his 
army.  About  the  time  of  the  battle  with  Captain  Bogart 
a  number  of  our  people  who  were  living  near  Haun's 
mills,  on  Shoal  Creek,  about  twenty  miles  below  Far 
West,  together  with  a  number  of  emigrants  who  had 
been  stopped  there  in  consequence  of  the  excitement, 
made  an  agreement  with  the  mob  which  was  about  there, 
that  neither  party  should  molest  the  other,  but  dwell  in 
peace.  Shortly  after  this  agreement  was  made  a  mob 
party  of  from  two  to  three  hundred,  many  of  whom  are 
supposed  to  be  from  Chariton  County,  some  from  Daviess, 
and  also  those  who  had  agreed  to  dwell  in  peace,  came 
upon  our  people  there,  whose  number  in  men  was  about 
forty,  at  a  time  when  they  little  expected  any  such  thing  and 
without  any  ceremony,  notwithstanding  they  begged  for 
quarter,  shot  them  down  as  they  would  tigers  or 
panthers.  Some  few  made  their  escape  by  fleeing, 
eighteen  were  killed  and  a  number  more  were  severely 
wounded. 

"This  tragedy  was  conducted  in  the  most  brutal  and 
savage  manner.  An  old  man,  after  the  massacre  was 
partially  over,  threw  himself  into  their  hands  and  begged 
for  quarter  when  he  was  instantly  shot  down ;  that  not 
killing  him  they  took  an  old  corn  cutter  and  literally 
mangled  him  to  pieces.  A  lad  of  ten  years  of  age,  after 
being  shot  down  also  begged  to  be  spared,  when  one  of 


242  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

them  placed  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  to  his  head  and  blew 
out  his  brains. 

"The  slaughter  of  these  not  satisfying  the  mob  they 
then  proceeded  to  rob  and  plunder. 

"The  scene  that  presented  itself  after  the  massacre 
to  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the  killed  is  beyond 
description.  It  was  truly  a  time  of  weeping,  of  mourn- 
ing and  of  lamentation. 

"As  yet  we  have  not  heard  of  any  being  arrested 
for  these  murders,  notwithstanding  there  are  men  boast- 
ing about  the  county  that  they  did  kill  on  that  occasion 
more  than  one  "  Mormon;"  whereas  all  our  people  who 
were  in  the  battle  with  Captain  Patten  against  Bogart, 
that  can  be  found,  have  been  arrested,  and  are  now  con- 
fined in  jail  to  await  their  trial  for  murder. 

"When  General  Lucas  arrived  near  Far  West  and 
presented  the  Governor's  order,  we  were  surprised 
greatly,  yet  we  felt  willing  to  submit  to  the  authorities  of 
the  state.  We  gave  up  our  arms  without  reluctance. 
We  were  then  made  prisoners  and  confined  to  the  limits 
of  the  town  for  about  a  week,  during  which  time  the 
men  from  the  country  were  not  permitted  to  go  to  their 
families  many  of  whom  were  in  a  suffering  condition  for 
the  want  of  food  and  firewood,  the  weather  being  very 
cold  and  stormy.  Much  property  was  destroyed  by  the 
troops  in  town  during  their  stay  there,  such  as  burning 
house  logs,  rails,  corn  cribs,  boards,  etc.,  the  using  of 
corn  and  hay,  the  plundering  of  houses,  the  killing  of 
cattle,  sheep,  and  hogs  and  also  the  taking  of  horses  not 
their  own ;  and  all  this  without  regard  to  owners  or  ask- 
ing leave  of  anyone.  In  the  meantime  men  were  abused, 
women  insulted  and  abused  by  the  troops — and  all  this 
while  we  were  kept  prisoners. 

"Whilst  the  town  was  guarded  we  were  called 
together  by  the  order  of  General  Lucas,  and  a  guard 
placed  close  around  us,  and  in  that  situation  were 
compelled  to  sign  a  deed  of  trust  for  the  purpose  of 
making  over  our  individual  property,  all  holden  as  they 
said,  to  pay  all  the  debts  of  every  individual  belonging 
to  the  Church,  and  also  to  pay  for  all  damages  the  old 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  243 

inhabitants   of  Daviess   may    have   sustained     in   conse- 
quence of  the  late  difficulties  in  that  county. 

"General  Clark  now  arrived  and  the  first  important 
move  made  by  him  was  collecting  of  our  men  together, 
on  the  square,  and  selecting  out  about  fifty  of  them' 
whom  he  immediately  marched  into  a  house  and  confined 
close.  This  was  done  without  the  aid  of  the  sheriff  or 
any  legal  process.  The  next  day  forty  six  of  those 
taken  were  driven,  like  a  parcel  of  menial  slaves,  off  to 
Richmond,  not  knowing  why  they  were  taken,  or  what 
they  were  taken  for.  After  being  confined  in  Richmond 
more  than  two  weeks,  about  one  half  were  liberated.  The 
rest,  after  another  week's  confinement,  were  most  of  them 
required  to  appear  at  court  and  have  since  been  let  to  bail. 

"Since  General  Clark  withdrew  his  troops  from 
Far  West,  parties  of  armed  men  have  gone  through  the 
county,  driving  off  horses,  sheep  and  cattle  and  also 
plundering  houses.  The  barbarity  of  General  Lucas' 
troops  ought  not  to  be  passed  over  in  silence.  They 
shot  our  cattle  and  hogs  merely  for  the  sake  of  destroy- 
ing them,  leaving  them  for  the  ravens  to  eat. 

"They  took  prisoner  an  aged  man  named  Tanner, 
and  without  any  reason  for  it,  he  was  struck  on  the  head 
with  a  gun,  which  laid  his  skull  bare.  Another  man  by 
the  name  of  Carey  was  also  taken  prisoner  by  them  and 
without  any  provocation  had  his  brains  dashed  out  by  a 
gun.  He  was  laid  in  a  wagon  and  there  permitted  to 
remain  for  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours,  during  which 
time  no  one  was  permitted  to  administer  to  him  comfort 
or  consolation ;  and  after  he  was  removed  from  that 
situation,  he  lived  but  a  few  hours. 

"The  destruction  of  property  at  and  about  Far 
West  is  very  great.  Many  are  stripped  bare  as  it  were 
and  others  partially  so.  Indeed,  take  us  as  a  body,  at 
this  time  we  are  a  poor  and  afflicted  people,  and  if  we 
are  compelled  to  leave  the  state  in  the  spring,  many,  yes 
a  large  portion  ot  our  society,  will  have  to  be  removed  at 
the  expense  of  the  state,  as  those  who  might  have  helped 
them  are  now  debarred  that  privilege  in  consequence  of 
the  deed  of  trust  we  are  compelled  to  sign,  which  deed 


244  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

so  operated  upon  our  real  estate  that  it  will  sell  for  little 
or  nothing  at  this  time. 

"We  have  now  made  a  brief  statement  of  some  of 
the  most  prominent  features  of  the  troubles  that  have 
befallen  our  people  since  our  first  settlement  in  the  state, 
and  we  believe  these  persecutions  have  come  in  conse- 
quence of  our  religious  faith,  and  not  for  immorality  on 
our  part.  That  instances  have  been,  of  late,  when  indi- 
viduals have  trespassed  upon  the  rights  of  others  and 
thereby  broken  the  laws  of  the  land,  we  will  not  attempt 
to  deny  ;  but  yet  we  do  believe  that  no  crime  can  be 
substantiated  against  any  of  the  people  who  have  a 
standing  in  our  Church  of  an  earlier  date  than  the  diffi- 
culties in  Daviess  County. 

"And  when  it  is  considered  that  the  rights  of  this 
people  have  been  trampled  upon  from  time  to  time  with 
impunity,  and  abuses  heaped  upon  them  almost  innumer- 
able, it  ought  in  some  degree  to  palliate  for  any  infrac- 
tion of  the  law  which  may  have  been  made  on  the  part 
of  our  people. 

"The  late  order  of  Governor  Boggs  to  drive  us 
from  this  state,  or  exterminate  us,  is  a  thing  so  novel, 
unlawful,  tyrannical  and  oppressive,  that  we  have  been 
induced  to  draw  up  this  memorial,  and  present  this  state- 
ment of  our  case  to  your  honorable  body,  praying  that  a 
law  may  be  passed,  rescinding  the  order  of  the  Governor 
to  drive  us  from  the  state,  and  also  giving  us  the  sanction 
of  the  Legislature  to  inherit  our  lands  in  peace. 

"We  ask  an  expression  of  the  Legislature,  disap- 
proving of  the  conduct  of  those  who  compelled  us  to  sign 
a  deed  of  trust,  and  also  disapproving  of  any  man  or  set 
of  men  taking  our  property  in  consequence  of  that  deed 
of  trust,  and  appropriating  it  to  the  payment  of  damage 
sustained  in  consequence  of  trespasses  committed  by 
others. 

"We  have  no  common  stock;  our  property  is  indi- 
vidual property  and  we  feel  willing  to  pay  our  debts 
as  other  individuals  do.  But  we  are  not  will- 
ing to  be  bound  for  other  peoples'  debts  also. 
The  arms  which  were  taken  from  us  here,  which  we 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  245 

understand  to  be  about  six  hundred  and  thirty,  besides 
swords  and  pistols,  we  care  not  so  much  about,  as  we  do 
the  pay  for  them,  only  we  are  bound  to  do  military  duty, 
which  we  are  willing  to  do,  and  which  we  think  was 
sufficiently  manifested  by  the  raising  of  a  volunteer  com- 
pany last  fall  at  Far  West,  when  called  upon  by  General 
Parkes  to  raise  troops  for  the  frontier. 

"The  arms  given  up  by  us  we  consider  were  worth 
between  twelve  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars ;  but  we 
understand  they  have  been  greatly  damaged  since  taken, 
and  at  this  time  probably  would  not  bring  near  their 
former  value.  And  as  they  were  both  here  and  in  Jack- 
son County,  taken  by  the  militia,  and  consequently  by 
the  authority  of  the  state,  we  therefore  ask  your  Honor- 
able Body  to  cause  an  appropriation  to  be  made  by  law, 
whereby  we  may  be  paid  for  them,  or  otherwise  have 
them  returned  to  us  and  the  damages  made  good.  The 
losses  sustained  by  our  people  in  leaving  Jackson  County, 
are  so  situated  that  it  is  impossible  to  obtain  any  com- 
pensation for  them  by  law,  because  those  who  have  sus- 
tained them  are  unable  to  prove  those  trespasses  upon 
individuals.  That  the  facts  do  exist  that  the  buildings, 
crops,  stock,  furniture,  rails,  timber,  etc.,  of  the  society, 
have  been  destroyed  in  Jackson  County,  is  not  doubted 
by  those  who  are  acquainted  in  this  upper  country;  and 
since  trespasses  cannot  be  proven  upon  individuals,  we 
ask  your  Honorable  Body  to  consider  this  case  and  if  in 
your  liberality  and  wisdom  you  can  conceive  it  to  be  pro- 
per to  make  an  appropriation  by  law  to  these  sufferers, 
many  of  whom  are  still  pressed  down  with  poverty  in 
consequence  of  their  losses,  would  be  able  to  pay  their 
debts,  and  also  in  some  degree  be  relieved  from  poverty 
and  woe;  whilst  the  widow's  heart  would  be  made  to 
rejoice,  and  the  orphan's  tears  measurably  dried  up  and 
the  prayers  of  a  grateful  people  ascend  on  high,  with 
thanksgiving  and  praise  to  the  author  of  our  existence 
for  that  beneficent  act. 

"In  laying  our  case  before  your  Honorable  Body, 
we  say  that  we  are  willing,  and  ever  have  been,  to  conform 
to  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States,  and 


246  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

of  this  state.  We  ask  in  common  with  others  the  pro- 
tection of  the  laws.  We  ask  for  the  privilege  guaranteed 
to  all  free  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of  this  state,  to 
be  extended  to  us,  that  we  may  be  permitted  to  settle 
and  live  where  we  please,  and  worship  God  according  to 
the  dictates  of  our  conscience  without  molestation.  And 
while  we  ask  for  ourselves  this  privilege  we  are  willing 
all  others  should  enjoy  the  same. 

"We  now  lay  our  case  at  the  feet  of  your  Legisla- 
ture, and  ask  your  Honorable  Body  to  consider  it,  and 
do  for  us,  after  mature  deliberation,  that  which  your  wis- 
dom, patriotism  and  philanthropy  may  dictate. 

"And  we  as  in  duty  bound  will  ever  pray. 

EDWARD  PARTRIDGE, 


"A  committee  appointed 
by  the  citizens  of  Caldwell 
County,  to  draft  this 
memorial  and  sign  it  in 
their  behalf. 


HEBER  C.  KIMBALL, 
JOHN  TAYLOR, 
THEODORE  TURLEY, 
BRIGHAM  YOUNG, 
ISAAC  MORLEY, 
GEORGE  W.  HARRIS, 


JOHN  MURDOCK, 
JOHN  M.  BURK. 
"Far  West,  Caldwell  County,  Missouri, 
Dec.  10,  1838." 

The  only  recognition  given  by  the  Legislature  to 
this  pathetic  appeal,  this  soul-harrowing  recital  of  "bitter, 
burning  wrongs,"  enough  to  melt  a  heart  of  stone, 

"To  stir  a  fever  in  the  blood  of  age, 

And  make  the  infant's  sinews  strong  as  steel," 

was  the  appropriation  of  the  paltry  sum  of  two  thousand 
dollars,  to  be  distributed  among  the  people  of  Daviess 
and  Caldwell  Counties,  "tiic  Mormons  not  accepted" 

O  lavish  generosity  !  Two  thousand  dollars  for  a 
city  sacked  and  pillaged,  fields  and  farms  laid  waste,  and 
homes  given  to  the  flames ;  not  to  mention  murders, 
rapes,  expulsions  and  other  outrages  nameless  for  their 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  247 

enormity,  committed  upon  a  helpless  people  by  a  ruth- 
less mob,  in  the  sovereign  name  of  the  state  of  Missouri ! 

"THE  MORMONS  NOT  EXCEPTED  ! " 

O  world-wide  philanthropy!  Magnanimity  unparal- 
leled !  As  though  the  Mormons  had  not  been  the  main, 
and  well-nigh  only  sufferers  from  this  horrible  and  hellish 
invasion.  Indeed,  the  only  other  losses  sustained — bar- 
ring those  inflicted  by  the  oppressed  people  in  sheer  self- 
defense — were  from  depredations  by  the  mobocrats  them- 
selves upon  their  own  sympathizers,  committed  in  such 
a  way  as  to  seem  the  work  of  Mormons,  who  were  falsely 
accused  of  the  devilish  deeds  and  the  public  mind  thus 
inflamed  against  them. 

And  then,  the  manner  of  distributing  this  princes' 
ransom!  Surely  the  tactics  of  the  average  Indian  agent 
and  post-trader  there  had  their  origin.  The  notorious 
Judge  Cameron  had  charge  of  the  distribution ;  a  wretch 
whose  unpitying  gaze  had  surveyed  complacently  the 
wrongs  and  cruelties  heaped  upon  the  helpless  Saints, 
his  serene  equanimity  of  temper  being  disturbed  only  by 
the  patience  and  superhuman  cheerfulness  of  the  breth- 
ren when  compelled  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  to  sign 
away  their  property  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  war  waged 
against  them.  He  was  assisted  by  a  man  named  McHenry. 

Says  Heber  C.  Kim  ball : 

"Judge  Cameron  drove  in  the  hogs  belonging  to  the 
brethren  (many  of  which  were  identified)  shot  them  down 
in  the  streets,  and,  without  further  bleeding  they  were 
half-dressed,  cut  up  and  distributed  by  McHenry  to  the 
poor,  charging  four  or  five  cents  per  pound ;  which, 
together  with  a  few  pieces  of  refuse  calicoes,  at  double 
and  treble  price,  soon  consumed  the  appropriation." 

And  thus  did  the  great  state  of  Missouri  redress  the 
wrongs  of  ten  thousand  innocent  people,  robbed  and 


248  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

trampled  on  without  provocation  by  its  mob  militia,  led 
on  and  fired  to  their  deeds  of  blood  and  plunder  by  poli- 
tical demagogues  and  hireling  priests  of  Christendom. 
And  this  in  the  broad  daylight  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
in  a  land  of  religious  liberty,  on  soil  consecrated  by  the 
blood  of  patriots — ancestors  of  the  people  thus  trampled 
on  and  despoiled — and  in  the  presence  of  American 
judges,  magistrates  and  priests,  affecting  the  calling,  but 
disgracing  the  name,  of  Christian  ! 

Brigham  and  Heber,  in  the  absence  of  their  fellow 
Apostles — the  remainder  of  the  Twelve  who  had  not 
gone  over  to  the  enemy,  being  in  prison  for  the  Gospel's 
sake,  or  away  on  missions — proceeded  to  set  in  order 
the  Church  at  Far  West,  which  was  more  or  less  scattered 
and  demoralized  from  the  effects  of  the  recent  persecu- 
tion. They  were  obliged  to  move  secretly  and  with  the 
utmost  caution,  their  lives  and  liberties  being  in  jeopardy 
from  apostate  spies  and  prowling  mobocrats.  They  reor- 
ganized the  High  Council,  ''expressed  their  fellowship 
with  all  who  desired  to  do  right,"  and  filled  the  vacancies 
occasioned  by  the  absence  of  brethren  who  had  fled  out 
of  the  state  to  save  their  lives. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  December,  they  ordained  John 
Taylor  and  John  E.  Page  to  the  apostleship. 

The  next  step  of  the  Apostles  was  to  arrange  for 
the  exodus  of  the  Saints  en  masse,  from  this  land  of 
tyrants,  traitors  and  mobocrats,  the  blood-stained  soil  of 
Missouri. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

THE    FIRST    PRESIDENCY    INSTRUCT    THE    APOSTLES BRIGHAM 

YOUNG      CHOSEN      PRESIDENT      OF      THE      TWELVE THE 

EXODUS    BEGUN HKBER  TARRIES    IN    MISSOURI    TO    MIN- 
ISTER    TO     HIS    IMPRISONED    BRETHREN HIS    FAITHFUL 

BUT     FRUITLESS     EFFORTS     FOR      THEIR      RELEASE THE 

LORD    SPEAKS    TO    IIEBER. 

FROM  Liberty  Jail,  January  i6th,  1839,  the  First 
Presidency  addressed  the  following  letter  of  instructions 
to  the  Apostles : 

" BROTHERS  H.   C.   KIMBALL  AND  B.  YOUNG: 

" Joseph  SinitJi  Jun.,  Sidney  Rig-don  and 
Hyrum  Smith,  prisoners  for  Jesus'  sake,  send  greeting ; 

In  obedience  to  your  request  in  your  letter,  we  say  to 
you  as  follows :  It  is  not  wisdom  for  you  to  go  out  of 
Caldwell  with  your  families  yet  for  a  little  season,  until  we 
are  out  of  prison,  after  which  you  may  act  at  your  pleas- 
ure;  but  though  you  take  your  families  out  of  the  State, 
it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  return,  and  leave  as  before 
designed,  on  the  26th  of  April. 

"Inasmuch  as  we  are  in  prison,  for  a  little  season,  if 
need  be,  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  Church 
devolves  on  you,  that  is  the  Twelve. 

"The  gathering  of  necessity  is  stopped  ;  but  the  con- 
version of  the  world  need  not  stop,  but  under  wise  man- 
agement can  go  on  more  rapidly  than  ever. 

"Where  churches  are  built,  let  them  continue  where 
they  are,  until  a  door  is  open  to  do  otherwise,  and  let 
every  Elder  occupy  his  own  ground,  and  when  he  builds 
a  church,  let  him  preside  over  it,  and  let  not  others  run  in 
to  trouble  him  ;  and  thus  let  every  man  prove  himself  unto 
God  that  he  is  worthy.  If  we  live,  we  live ;  and  if  we 


250  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

die  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  we  die ;  but  whether  we 
live  or  die,  let  the  work  of  God  go  on. 

"Let  the  churches  in  England  continue  there  till  fur- 
ther orders — till  a  door  can  be  opened  for  them,  except 
they  choose  to  come  to  America  and  take  their 
chance  with  the  Saints  here.  If  they  will  do  that 
let  them  come ;  and  if  they  choose  to  come,  they 
would  do  well  to  send  their  wise  men  before  them,  and 
buy  out  Kirtland,  and  the  regions  round  about,  or  they 
may  settle  where  they  can  till  things  may  alter. 

It  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  get  the  Twelve 
together,  ordain  such  as  have  not  been  ordained,  or  at 
least  such  of  them  as  you  can  get,  and  proceed  to  regu- 
late the  Elders  as  the  Lord  may  give  you  wisdom.  We 
nominate  George  A.  Smith  and  Lyman  Sherman  to  take 
the  places  of  Orson  Hyde  and  Thomas  B.  Marsh. 

"Brethren,  fear  not,  but  be  strong  in  the  Lord  and 
in  the  power  of  His  might.  What  is  man  that  the  ser- 
vant of  God  should  fear  him,  or  the  son  of  man,  that  he 
should  tremble  at  him.  Neither  think  it  strange  concern- 
ing the  fiery  trials  with  which  we  are  tried,  as  though 
some  strange  thing  had  happened  unto  us.  Remember 
that  all  have  been  partakers  of  like  afflictions.  There- 
fore, rejoice  in  your  afflictions,  by  which  you  are  perfected 
and  through  which  the  Captain  of  our  Salvation  was  per- 
fected also.  Let  your  hearts  and  the  hearts  of  all  the 
Saints  be  comforted  with  you,  and  let  them  rejoice 
exceedingly,  for  great  is  our  reward  in  heaven,  for  so  the 
wicked  persecuted  the  prophets  which  were  before  us. 
America  will  be  a  Zion  to  all  that  choose  to  come  to  it, 
and  if  the  churches  in  foreign  countries  wish  to  come, 
let  them  do  so.  Say  to  Brother  P.  P.  Pratt  that  our  feel- 
ings accord  with  his  ;  he  is  as  we  are,  and  we  as  he.  May 
peace  rest  upon  him  in  life  and  in  death. 

"Brethren,  pray  for  us,  and  cease  not  till  our  deliv- 
erance comes,  which  we  hope  may  come.  We  hope,  we 
say,  for  our  families'  sake. 

"Let  the  Elders  preach  nothing  but  the  first  princi- 
ples of  the  Gospel,  and  let  them  publish  our  afflictions— 
the  injustice  and  cruelty  thereof,  upon  the  house  tops. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  251 

Let  them  write  it  and  publish  it  in  all  the  papers  where 
they  go.      Charge  them  particularly  on  this  point. 

"Brethren  we  remain  yours  in  hope  of  eternal  life, 

lk  SIDNEY  RIGDON. 

" JOSEPH  SMITH,  JR. 

"HvRUM  SMITH. 

4iN.  B.  Appoint  the  oldest  of  those  of  the  Twelve, 
who  were  first  appointed,  to  be  the  president  of  your 
quorum.  "J.  S. 

"S.  R. 

"H.  S." 

Agreeable  to  the  instruction  contained  in  the  post- 
script of  this  letter,  Brigham  Young  was  sustained  by 
the  Apostles  as  president  of  their  quorum.  There  were 
but  two,  it  will  be  remembered,  of  the  original  Twelve, 
who  were  his  seniors.  One  of  these,  Thomas  B.  Marsh, 
had  apostatized,  and  the  other,  the  lamented  David  W. 
Patten,  was  now  filling  a  martyr's  grave. 

"On  February  /th,"  says  Apostle  Kimball,  "I 
accompanied  Brother  Brigham  to  Liberty  to  visit  Joseph 
and  the  brethren  in  prison.  We  had  the  privilege  of 
going  in  to  see  and  converse  with  them  ;  stayed  at 
Liberty  over  night.  Next  morning  we  were  permitted  to 
visit  the  prisoners  again  while  they  were  at  breakfast, 
and  returned  during  the  da)'  to  Far  West.  When  we 
left  there  Lyman  Sherman  was  somewhat  unwell.  In  a 
few  days  after  our  return  he  died.  We  did  not  notify 
him  of  his  appointment. 

"I  fitted  up  a  small  wagon,  procured  a  span  of 
ponies,  and  sent  my  wife  and  three  children  in  company 
with  Brother  Brigham  Young  and  his  family,  with  several 
others,  who  left  Far  West,  Feb.  I4th.  Everything  my 
family  took  with  them  out  of  Missouri  could  have  been 
packed  on  the  backs  of  two  horses  :  the  mob  took  all  the 
rest. 


252  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"Being  a  stranger  there,  I  was  requested  by  Joseph, 
Brigham  and  others,  to  tarry  and  assist  in  getting  the 
brethren  and  families  out  of  Missouri,  and  to  wait  upon 
those  brethren  who  were  in  prison. 

"I  went  to  Liberty  almost  every  week  to  visit  the 
brethren ;  generally  the  only  way  I  had  to  communicate 
with  them  was  through  the  grates  of  their  prison.  Many 
times,  after  I  had  traveled  forty  or  fifty  miles  to  see  them, 
I  was  denied  the  privilege  by  the  jailor  and  the  guards. 

"I  sent  one  hundred  dollars  by  Brother  Stephen 
Markham  to  Joseph,  and  also  various  sums  at  different 
times  by  other  individuals. 

"March  i5th,  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  others  peti- 
tioned Judge  Tomkins,  or  either  of  the  Supreme  Judges 
of  the  state  of  Missouri,  for  a  state's  writ  of  habeas  corpiis, 
that  he  and  his  brethren  might  be  brought  before  either 
of  those  judges,  that  justice  might  be  administered.  I 
was  requested  by  Joseph  to  go  to  Jefferson  City  and 
present  the  petition.  Theodore  Turley  was  appointed 
to  accompany  me.  We  took  copies  of  the  papers  by 
which  the  prisoners  were  held,  with  the  petition  to  the 
Supreme  Judges,  and  immediately  started  a  distance  of 
300  miles  ;  visited  the  judges,  and  laid  the  whole  matter 
before  them  individually,  according  to  our  best  abilities; 
neither  of  them  would  take  any  action  in  the  case, 
although  they  appeared  friendly,  and  acknowledged  that 
the  brethren  were  illegally  imprisoned.  We  also  pre- 
sented a  petition  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  Governor 
being  absent.  He  appeared  very  kind,  but  like  the  other 
officers  he  had  no  power  to  do  good  ! 

"We  immediately  returned  to  Liberty,  where  we 
arrived  on  the  3oth  and  made  Joseph  and  the  rest  of  the 
prisoners  acquainted  with  the  result  of  our  mission, 
through  the  grate  of  the  dungeon,  as  we  were  not  per- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  253 

mitted  to  enter  the  prison.  Joseph  told  us  to  be  of  good 
cheer,  for  the  Lord  would  deliver  him  and  his  brethren 
in  due  time  ;  he  also  told  us  to  tell  the  brethren  to  be  of 
good  cheer,  and  get  all  the  Saints  away  as  fast  as 
possible. 

"In  company  with  Brother  Turley,  I  visited  Judge 
Austin  A.  King,  who  was  angry  with  us  for  presenting 
his  illegal  papers  to  the  Supreme  Judges.  He  treated  us 
very  roughly.  I  returned  to  Far  West,  April  5th. 

"My  family  having  been  gone  about  two  months, 
during  which  time  I  heard  nothing  from  them ;  our 
brethren  being  in  prison ;  death  and  destruction  follow- 
ing us  everywhere  we  went  ;  I  felt  very  sorrowful  and 
lonely.  The  following  words  came  to  my  mind,  and  the 
Spirit  said  unto  me,  'write,'  which  I  did  by  taking  apiece 
of  paper  and  writing  on  my  knee  as  follows : 

"FAR  WEST,  April  6th,  1839. 

A  word  from  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  my  servant, 
Heber  C.  Kimball : 

"Verily  I  say  unto  my  servant  Heber,  thou  art  my 
son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased ;  for  thou  art  careful  to 
hearken  to  my  words,  and  not  transgress  my  law,  nor 
rebel  against  my  servant  Joseph  Smith,  for  thou  hast  a 
respect  to  the  words  of  mine  anointed,  even  from  the 
least  to  the  greatest  of  them ;  therefore  thy  name  is 
written  in  heaven,  no  more  to  be  blotted  out  for  ever, 
because  of  these  things;  and  this  Spirit  and  blessing 
shall  rest  down  upon  thy  posterity  for  ever  and  ever  ; 
for  they  shall  be  called  after  thy  name,  for  thou  shalt 
have  many  more  sons  and  daughters,  for  thy  seed  shall 
be  as  numerous  as  the  sands  upon  the  sea  shore ;  there- 
fore, my  servant  Heber,  be  faithful,  go  forth  in  my  name  and 
I  will  go  with  you,  and  be  on  your  right  hand  and  on  your 
left,  and  my  angels  shall  go  before  you  and  raise  you  up 
when  you  are  cast  down  and  afflicted ;  remember  that  I 
am  always  with  you,  even  to  the  end,  therefore  be  of 


254  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

good  cheer,  my  son,  and  my  spirit  shall  be  in  your  heart 
to  teach  you  the  peaceable  things  of  the  kingdom. 
Trouble  not  thyself  about  thy  family,  for  they  are  in  my 
hands ;  I  will  feed  them  and  clothe  them  and  make  unto 
them  friends  ;  they  never  shall  want  for  food  nor  raiment, 
houses  nor  lands,  fathers  nor  mothers ;  brothers  nor 
sisters ;  and  peace  shall  rest  upon  them  forever ;  if  thou 
wilt  be  faithful  and  go  forth  and  preach  my  gospel  to  the 
nations  of  the  earth ;  for  thou  shalt  be  blessed  in  this 
thing:  thy  tongue  shall  be  unloosed  to  such  a  degree 
that  has  not  entered  into  thy  heart  as  yet,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  men  shall  believe  thy  words,  and  flock  to  the 
water,  even  as  they  did  to  my  servant  John ;  for  thou 
shalt  be  great  in  winning  souls  to  me,  for  this  is  thy  gift 
and  calling ;  and  there  shall  be  no  gift  withheld  from  thee, 
if  thou  art  faithful.  Therefore,  be  faithful,  and  I  will  give 
thee  favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  ;  be  humble  and  kind 
and  you  shall  obtain  kindness ;  be  merciful  and  you  shall 
obtain  mercy;  and  I  will  be  with  you  even  unto  the  end. 
Amen. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

A  WORD  FOR  THE  FALLEN ONLY  GOD  KNOWETH  THE  WHERE- 
FORE     AND      WHY ORSOX      HYDE'S      REPENTANCE     AND 

RETURN     TO     THE     CHURCH HEBER     C.     KIMBALL     AND 

HYRUM    SMITH    HIS    CHAMPIONS ISAAC  RUSSELI/S  APOS- 
TASY  HEBER     WRITES    TO    THE    CHURCH    IN    ENGLAND. 

"BE  merciful  and  you  shall  obtain  mercy."  The 
word  of  the  Lord  unto  His  servant  Heber.  The  word 
of  the  Lord  unto  His  disciples  in  days  of  old.  The  voice 
of  universal  charity,  breathing  forth  the  spirit  of  Christ 
upon  a  weak,  a  sinful  and  a  fallen  world. 

"Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy." 

Why  should  we  rail  at  the  fallen?  Why  not  rather 
weep,  when  a  brother  or  a  sister  sins?  Why  hate  them 
for  what  is  their  misfortune?  The  heavens  wept  over 
fallen  Lucifer,  and  even  Michael,  the  archangel,  contend- 
ing with  him  for  the  body  of  Moses,  "durst  not  bring 
against  him  a  railing  accusation?  " 

None  but  the  tempted  know  what  trials  are  ;  none 
but  the  fallen  what  the  fallen  suffer,  or  how  they  endured 
ere  they  fell.  None  but  God  can  fully  know  the  why 
and  wherefore  of  their  fall. 

"  We  see  but  half  the  causes  of  our  deeds, 
Seeking  them  wholly  in  the  outer  life." 

What  we  deem  chance,  may  be  destiny ;  what  we 
term  accident,  design.  A  greater  knowledge  than  man's, 
the  knowledge  of  a  God,  can  alone  elucidate  the  mystery 


256  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

of  mortal  actions,  as  seen  by  the  dim  uncertain  light  of 
the  flickering  lantern  of  human  wisdom. 

He  who  is  the  Judge;  who  "putteth  down  one  and 
setteth  up  another;"  who  is  angry  with  none  save  with 
those  who  will  not  in  all  things  acknowledge  and  obey 
Him  ;  who  bringeth  order  out  of  chaos,  light  out  of  dark- 
ness, strength  from  weakness,  life  from  death,  and  vic- 
tory from  seeming  failure  and  defeat;  He  only  can 
entirely  tell  why  some  succeed  where  others  fail,  why 
some  are  weak  and  some  are  strong,  why  false  and  true 
are  found  together ;  why  "there  must  needs  be  an  opposi- 
in  all  things;"  why  demons  as  well  as  angels  are  essen- 
tial ;  why  sun  and  shadow  cross  each  other ;  why  joy  and 
sorrow,  sweet  and  bitter,  wine  and  wormwood,  are  in 
life's  cup  commingled ;  why  the  beacon  lights  the  break- 
er's foam  ;  why  the  stranded  wreck,  and  the  bark  safely 
anchored,  each  must  tell  its  tale  and  point  its  moral  for 
the  welfare  of  future  generations. 

"Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy." 

"To  err  is  human  ;  to  forgive  divine." 

"And  now  abideth  faith,  hope,  charity,  these  three; 
but  the  greatest  of  these  is  charity." 

"About  this  time,"  says  Heber,  "Orson  Hyde  came 
to  me  feeling  very  sorrowful  for  the  course  he  had 
pursued  the  past  few  months ;  he  said  it  was  because  of 
fear  (Brother  Hyde  was  sick  just  before  the  Far  West 
troubles  commenced),  and  now  lamented  his  folly  and 
asked  me  what  he  should  do.  I  told  him  to  give  up  his 
school,  remove  his  family  and  gather  with  the  Church. 
He  wanted  to  know  if  I  thought  the  brethren  would  for- 
give him.  I  said,  'Yes.'  He  then  asked,  'Will  you 
defend  my  case?'  And  I  promised  him  I  would." 

Heber  was  as  good   as  his  word,  and   through  his. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  257 

mediation  Brother  Hyde  was  forgiven,  after  a  humble 
confession,  and  restored  to  fellowship.  He  was  also 
reinstated  in  his  Apostleship,  which  he  thenceforth  magni- 
fied unto  the  end  of  his  days. 

Heber  enlisted  as  his  fellow  champion  of  the  cause 
of  Brother  Hyde,  President  Hyrum  Smith,  great-hearted 
and  merciful  as  himself,  and  when,  at  the  next  conference 
of  the  Church,  Joseph  presented  the  name  of  Orson 
Hyde  to  the  congregation  for  their  action,  Hyrum  and 
Heber  pleaded  for  him  so  earnestly  that  the  Prophet  said  : 
"If  my  brother  Hyrum  and  Heber  C.  Kimball  will 
defend  Orson  Hyde,  I  will  withdraw  my  motion," 

Thus  did  the  voice  of  mercy,  the  voice  of  God,  in 
two  of  His  noblest  sons,  plead  and  not  in  vain  for  the 
fallen. 

And  what  of  Oliver,  and  David,  and  Sidney,  and 
scores  of  others  who  fell  from  grace,  but  many  of  whom, 
penitent  at  life's  eleventh  hour,  returned  to  lay  the  offer- 
ing of  a  broken  heart  and  a  contrite  spirit  upon  the  altar 
of  God's  infinite  love  ?  Will  they  not  find  mercy,  and 
meet  a  judgment  more  just,  than  we  in  our  narrow  char- 
ity know  how  to  mete  out  to  the  erring? 

Verily  they  will ;  and  more  joy  will  there  ever  be  in 
the  mansions  of  our  Father,  over  the  returning  prodigal, 
the  soul  that  was  lost  and  is  found,  than  in  the  steadfast 
faith  of  the  righteous  multitude,  whose  reward  is  that 
they  need  no  repentance. 

Another  Elder  who  fell  away  during  this  time  of  trouble, 
was  Isaac  Russell,  Heber's  fellow  missionary  to  England. 
About  thirty  families  followed  him,  accepting  him  as  their 
leader.  Viewing  with  sorrow  the  fall  of  such  men,  his 
former  faithful  companions  in  the  ministry,  Heber's  mind 
turned  with  some  solicitude  to  the  church  in  England, 
which  they,  with  himself,  had  been  instrumental  in  found- 


17 


258  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

ing.     He   wrote  to   Joseph  Fielding,    President    of  the 
Church  in  that  land,  as  follows  : 

"I  have  only  received  two  letters  from  you  since  I 
came  here.  If  you  knew  the  feelings  I  have  for  the  wel- 
fare of  that  people  your  pen  would  not  be  so  idle.  May 
God  stir  you  up  to  diligence  to  feed  His  sheep  ;  for  they 
are  children  of  my  begetting  through  the  Gospel.  Think 
it  not  strange  that  I  speak  thus ;  for  you  know  the  feelings 
that  a  father  has  for  his  children. 

"Now,  brethren,  be  faithful  and  visit  the  churches, 
and  exhort  the  Saints  to  be  faithful  in  all  things,  and  not 
lay  down  their  watch  for  a  moment ;  for  there  is  great 
danger  of  falling  beneath  the  powers  of  darkness.  Don't 
think  hard  of  me,  brethren,  for  my  plainness,  for  I  am  a 
plain  man,  and  God  requires  it  of  me,  and  the  same  of 
you.  Don't  keep  the  Saints  in  ignorance  of  those  things 
I  have  made  you  acquainted  with — that  is,  our  sufferings, 
for  they  will  know  them  when  I  come,  and  they  will  have 
to  pass  through  similar  scenes.  Don't  be  selfish  ;  for  it 
will  not  impoverish  you  to  tell  them  all  that  I  tell  you. 

"Your  sister  Mary  left  here  about  eight  weeks  ago, 
also  the  rest  of  the  wives  of  the  prisoners,  thinking  that 
they  would  be  out  in  a  few  days.  There  are  ten  in 
prison ;  they  are  all  well  and  in  good  spirits.  I  am  going 
to  see  them  to-morrow  if  the  Lord  will. 

"Mobs  are  common  in  this  country;  it  is  getting  so 
that  there  is  no  safety  anywhere  in  this  land.  Prepare 
yourselves  for  trouble  wherever  you  go,  for  it  awaits  you 
and  all  others  that  love  the  Lord  and  keep  His  command- 
ments. 

"Brethren,  I  want  you  to  go  to  the  north  where 
Brother  Russell  labored,  and  see  what  situation  the 
Saints  are  in,  for  I  have  some  fears  about  them.  Go  and 
strengthen  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  for  I  think  that 
Russell  is  leading  them  astray.* 

"  Brethren,  I  can  truly  say  that  I  have  never  seen 
the  Church  in  a  better  state  since  I  have  been  a  member 

#This   letter  preceded,  only  by  a  few  weeks,  an   epistle  from  Isaac  Russell  to  the 
Saints  in  Alston,  England,  of  a  nature  "calculated  to  deceive  and  lead  astray." 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  259 

of  it.  What  there  are  left  are  firm  and  steadfast,  full  of 
love  and  good  works. 

"They  have  lost  all  their  earthly  goods,  and  are  now 
ready  to  go  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  a  dying  iv  or  Id  ! 

"We  have  ordained  about  one  hundred  Elders  into 
the  Seventies.  There  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
who  have  gone  into  the  vineyard  this  winter  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  and  many  more  will  go  in  the  spring,  and 
several  will  come  to  England  with  me  in  the  summer  or 
fall. 

"  Elder  Rigdon  was  bailed  out  of  prison,  and  has 
left  Missouri.  About  ten  thousand  had  gathered  to  this 
state.  By  the  first  of  May,  next,  there  will  not  be  one 
left  who  has  any  faith.  Not  one-fourth  part  had  any 
teams  to  move  with,  and  we  had  two  hundred  miles  to 
travel  before  we  could  get  out  of  the  state.  I  think 
their  deliverance  is  a  great  miracle." 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

THE  BRETHREN  IN  LIBERTY  JAIL JUDGE  KING'S  COUP  D'ETAT 

—THE     MOB    AGAIN    THREATEN    FAR    WEST FIENDS    IN 

HUMAN  FORM THE    PROPHET    REGAINS  HIS  FREEDOM— 

THE  APOSTLES  FULFILL  REVELATION FIRST  CONFERENCE 

OF  THE  CHURCH  IN  ILLINOIS. 

JOSEPH  and  his  brethren  were  still  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  but  the  hour  of  their  deliverance  was  drawing 
nigh.  They  had  suffered  severely  in  their  confinement 
from  the  cruelty  of  their  captors,  but  most  of  them  had 
borne  up  bravely.  Elder  Rigdon,  whose  faith  was  begin- 
ning to  fail  under  the  terrible  tension  of  trial,  rashly 
exclaimed  in  a  moment  of  despair:  "  Jesus  Christ  was  a 


26O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

fool  to  me  in  suffering."  Soon  after,  he  was  released  on 
bail  and  set  at  liberty.  The  others  were  destined  to  tarry 
in  chains  a  little  longer. 

Judge  King  now  ordered  the  removal  of  the  pris- 
oners from  Liberty  to  Daviess  County,  fearing  a  change 
of  venue  might  be  obtained  to  some  other  place  where 
the  feeling  against  them  was  less  intense,  and  the  pros- 
pect for  a  fair  trial  more  favorable. 

Heber  C.  Kimball  and  another  of  the  brethren  were 
appointed  to  visit  Judge  Hughes,  a  friend  of  Joseph's,  and 
get  him  to  attend  the  sitting  of  the  court  in  Daviess  County. 

"The  Judge,"  says  Heber,  "who  had  formerly  been 
an  Indian  agent,  and  was  a  very  rough  man  in  his  lan- 
guage, cursed  the  judges,  the  governor,  and  everybody 
else  who  would  not  step  forward  and  help  the  brethren 
out  of  the  hands  of  their  persecutors,  for  he  did  not 
believe  they  were  guilty  of  any  of  the  crimes  alleged 
against  them ;  he  said  there  was  no  proof  that  they  had 
committed  any  crime  worthy  of  imprisonment  or  death, 
and  that  the  Mormons  had  been  meanly  treated  in  Mis- 
souri. 

"There  were  several  men  in  Liberty  who  were  very 
friendly  to  the  brethren.  I  called  on  them  when  I  went 
there,  and  they  treated  me  with  great  civility.  General 
Doniphan  and  General  Atchison  and  several  of  the  fore- 
most men  of  the  town  were  among  them. 

"Those  I  have  mentioned  and  several  others, 
revolted  at  the  scenes  enacted  against  the  Mormons,  and 
would  have  liberated  the  brethren  had  it  not  been  for 
'outside  pressure,' — that  is,  the  strong  prejudice  against 
us  by  the  people,  and  their  bloodthirstiness  to  kill  the 
prophets." 

Meanwhile,  the  mob,  not  content  with  the  ruin  they 
had  wrought,  continued  to  threaten  the  few  Saints  who 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  26 1 

remained  in  Far  West,  evidently  determined  to  carry  out 
the  order  of  their  chief,  Governor  Boggs,  to  "extermin- 
ate the  Mormons,  or  drive  them  from  the  state."  The 
main  body  of  the  Church,  numbering  from  ten  to  twelve 
thousand  souls,  had  already  left  the  state,  and  were 
beyond  the  reach  of  Missourian  mobs,  encamped  upon 
the  hospitable  shores  of  Illinois. 

"On  the  1 4th  of  April,  1839,"  continues  Heber,  "the 
committee  who  had  been  left  to  look  after  the  wants  of 
the  poor,  removed  thirty-six  of  the  helpless  families  into 
Tenney's  grove,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Far  West. 
I  was  obliged  to  secrete  myself  in  the  corn-fields  and 
woods  during  the  day  and  only  venture  out  in  the  even- 
ing, to  counsel  the  committee  and  brethren  in  private 
houses. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  iSth,  as  I  was  going  to  the 
committee  room  to  tell  the  brethren  to  wind  up  their 
affairs  and  be  off,  or  their  lives  would  be  taken,  I  was 
met  on  the  public  square  by  several  of  the  mob.  One 
of  them  asked,  with  an  oath,  if  I  was  a  Mormon. 

"I  replied,  'I  am  a  Mormon.' 

"With  a  series  of  blasphemous  expressions,  they 
then  threatened  to  blow  my  brains  out,  and  also  tried  to 
ride  over  me  with  their  horses,  in  the  presence  of  Elias 
Smith,  Theodore  Turley  and  others  of  the  committee. 

"It  was  but  a  few  minutes  after  I  had  notified  the 
committee  to  leave,  before  the  mob  gathered  at  the  tith- 
ing house,  and  began  breaking  clocks,  chairs,  windows, 
looking-glasses  and  furniture,  and  making  a  complete 
wreck  of  everything  they  could  move,  while  Captain 
Bogart,  the  county  judge,  looked  on  and  laughed.  A 
mobber  named  Whittaker  threw  an  iron  pot  at  the  head 
of  Theodore  Turley  and  hurt  him  considerably,  when 
Whittaker  jumped  about  and  laughed  like  a  madman ; 


262  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

and  all  this  at  the  time  when  we  were  using  our  utmost 
endeavors  to  get  the  Saints  away  from  Far  West.  The 
brethren  gathered  up  what  they  could,  and  fled  from  Far 
West  in  one  hour.  The  mob  staid  until  the  committee 
left,  and  then  plundered  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of 
property  which  had  been  left  by  the  brethren  and  sisters 
to  assist  the  poor  to  remove. 

''One  mobber  rode  up,  and,  finding  no  convenient 
place  to  fasten  his  horse  to,  shot  a  cow  that  was  standing 
near,  while  a  girl  was  milking  her,  and  while  the  poor 
animal  was  struggling  in  death,  he  cut  a  strip  of  her  hide 
from  the  nose  to  her  tail,  to  which  he  fastened  his  halter. 

"During  the  commotion  of  this  day,  a  great  portion 
of  the  records  of  the  committee,  accounts,  history,  etc., 
were  destroyed  or  stolen. 

"Hearing  that  Joseph  and  the  brethren  had  escaped 
from  their  guard  while  they  were  on  their  way  from 
Daviess  to  Boone  County,  to  which  place  they  had 
obtained  a  change  of  venue,  I  called  upon  Shadrach 
Roundy,  with  whom  I  started  immediately  towards  Quincy. 

''On  reaching  Keetsville,  I  stopped  at  the  house  of 
Col.  Price.  The  Colonel,  hearing  of  my  arrival,  came 
directly  into  the  house,  and  discovering  who  I  was,  said, 
'Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith  and  the  other  prisoners  have 
escaped.'  I  enquired  what  he  knew  about  them.  He 
answered,  'their  guard  took  breakfast  here  this  morning ; 
they  have  turned  back,  saying  they  were  going  to  Rich- 
mond, by  way  of  Tenney's  Grove.  I  know  that  the 
guard  has  been  bribed,  or  they  would  evince  more  inter- 
est by  pursuing  them.'  After  we  had  partaken  of  refresh- 
ment, Brother  Roundy  and  I  pursued  our  course  towards 
Quincy  about  fourteen  or  fifteen  miles. 

"  Being  thoroughly  satisfied  that  the  prisoners  had 
escaped,  we  turned  back  towards  Far  West.  When  we 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  263 

arrived  at  Tenney's  Grove  a  man  came  to  me  and  pre- 
sented an  order  drawn  on  me  by  Joseph  Smith  for  $500, 
saying"  it  was  for  horses  furnished  him.  I  immediately 
raised  $400,  which  I  paid  him,  when  he  proceeded  to 
Richmond,  Ray  County,  where  he  paid  out  some  of 
the  money  to  secure  lands  that  we  had  been  driven 
from. 

''Brother  Roundy  and  myself  started  a  few  hours 
after  for  Richmond,  being  on  our  way  to  Far  West,  for 
the  purpose  of  visiting  Parley  P.  Pratt  and  others,  in  jail, 
On  our  arrival  at  Richmond,  I  went  directly  to  the  prison 
to  see  Parley,  but  was  prohibited  by  the  guard,  who  said 
they  would  blow  my  brains  out  if  I  attempted  to  go  near 
him.  In  a  few  minutes  Sister  Morris  Phelps  came  to  me 
in  great  agitation,  and  advised  me  to  leave  forthwith,  as 
Parley  P.  Pratt  had  tolcl  her  that  a  large  body  of  men 
had  assembled  with  tar,  feathers  and  a  rail,  who  swore 
they  would  tar  and  feather  me,  and  ride  me  on  a  rail, 
suspecting  I  was  the  one  who  assisted  Joseph  and  the  other 
prisoners  to  escape.  I  immediately  informed  Brother 
Roundy,  we  jumped  on  our  horses  and  fled  towards  Far 
West,  which  was  distant ;  we  rode  all  night,  and  reached 
Far  West  about  the  break  of  day,  expecting  Brother 
Brigham  Young  and  the  Twelve  to  arrive  there  that  day." 

April  26th,  1839,  was  the  day  appointed  by  revela- 
tion for  the  Apostles  to  take  leave  of  Far  West  on  the 
building  spot  of  the  Lord's  House.  As  usual,  when 
times  and  seasons  are  given — for  foreknowledge  is 
power,  with  evil  spirits  as  well  as  good — Satan  had  dili- 
gently sought  to  make  the  word  of  God  of  no  effect. 
The  mob,  with  their  apostate  allies  who  had  betrayed  to 
them  the  secrets  of  the  kingdom,  had  sworn  that  this 

o 

revelation    should  not  be  fulfilled ;  and  having  driven  the 
Saints  from  their  homes,   leaving   only  a   few   scattered 


264  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

families  in  and  around  Far  West,  and  imprisoned  the 
Church  leaders,  they  flattered  themselves  that  their  wicked 
oath  had  been  verified. 

Little  knew  they  the  men  they  were  dealing  with, 
still  less  that  God  whose  word  they  had  vainly  sought  to 
falsify;  Him  who  hath  said:  "Heaven  and  earth  shall 
pass  away,  but  my  word  shall  not  pass  away." 

Heber  continues:  "I  kept  myself  concealed  in  the 
woods,  and  passed  round  the  country,  notifying  the 
brethren  and  sisters  to  be  on  hand  at  the  appointed  time 
for  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone. 

"April  25th.  This  night,  which  was  a  beautiful, 
clear  moonlight,  Elders  Brigham  Young,  Orson  Pratt, 
John  E.  Page,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff,  George 
A.  Smith,  and  Alpheus  Cutler,  arrived  from  Quincy, 
Illinois,  and  rode  into  the  public  square  early  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th.  All  seemed  still  as  death. 

"April  26th,  we  held  a  conference  at  the  house  of 
Brother  Samuel  Clark,  cut  off  31  persons  from  the 
Church,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  building  spot  of  the 
Lord's  house,  where,  after  singing,  we  recommenced 
laying  the  foundation,  agreeably  to  the  revelation  given 
July  8th,  1838,  by  rolling  a  stone,  upwards  of  a  ton 
weight,  upon  or  near  the  south-east  corner. 

"In  company  with  Brother  Brigham  Young,  we 
ordained  Wilford  Woodruff  and  George  A.  Smith  (who 
had  been  previously  nominated  by  the  First  Presidency, 
accepted  by  the  Twelve,  and  acknowledged  by  the  Church 
at  Ouincy)  members  of  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles ;  and  Darwin  Chase  and  Norman  Shearer,  (who 
were  liberated  from  Richmond  prison  on  the  24th  inst, 
where  they  had  been  confined  about  six  months  for  the 
cause  of  Christ)  Seventies.  They  sat  on  the  south-east 
corner  stone  while  we  ordained  them. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  265 

"The  Twelve  then  individually  called  upon  the  Lord 
in  prayer,  kneeling  on  the  corner  stone ;  after  which 
4  Adam-ondi-Ahman '  was  sung. 

"The  brethren  wandered  among  our  deserted 
houses,  many  of  which  were  in  ruins,  and  saw  the  streets 
in  many  places  grown  over  with  weeds  and  grass. 

"We  went  to  Father  Clark's,  breakfasted,  and 
before  sunrise  departed.  I  accompanied  my  brethren, 
riding  thirty  miles  that  day.  We  continued  our  journey 
to  Quincy,  where  I  found  my  family  well  and  in  good 
spirits,  on  the  2nd  of  May. 

"On  reading  the  words  of  inspiration  which  I  had 
written,  my  wife  bore  record  to  the  truth  of  that  part 
which  says,  'trouble  not  thyself  about  thy  family  for 
they  are  in  my  hands ;  I  will  feed  them  and  clothe  them, 
and  make  unto  them  friends ;  for  they  never  shall  want 
for  food  nor  raiment.'  I  learned  from  her  that  my  family 
continued  with  Brother  Brigham  until  they  crossed  the 
Mississippi,  to  the  town  of  Atlas,  in  Illinois,  where,, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  George  Pitkin,  my  wife 
got  introduced  to  a  widow  Ross,  who  let  her  have  a  very  nice 
comfortably  fitted  up  room,  and  who  was  as  kind  to  her 
as  an  own  mother  or  sister;  here  my  wife  tarried  seven 
weeks.  At  the  end  of  that  time  John  P.  Greene  took  his 
horses  and  wagon  and  carried  my  family  up  to  Ouincy, 
forty  miles,  and  rented  a  good  house,  where  I  found  her 
on  my  leaving  Missouri.  She  had  had  no  lack  of  friends, 
and  had  every  comfort  bestowed  on  her  that  she  could 
have  had  among  her  own  kindred.  And  I  can  say  in 
my  heart,  God  bless  them  all,  and  my  Brother  Brigham 
for  his  great  kindness  in  assisting  them  into  Illinois.  In 
relation  to  that  part  which  said  I  should  have  many  sons 
and  daughters,  she  rather  doubted  that,  as  the  thought 
had  never  entered  into  her  head,  or  mine,  that  the  Lord 


266  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

would  establish  in  this  Church  the  doctrine  of  plurality  of 
wives,  in  my  day;  still  I  believed  it  would  be  restored  to 
the  earth  in  some  future  time. 

''May  3rd,  I  went  in  company  with  Elder  Brig-ham 
Young,  Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff  and 
George  A.  Smith,  and  rode  four  miles  to  Mr.  Cleve- 
land's to  visit  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  who  were  as  glad  to 
see  us  as  we  were  to  see  them,  once  more  enjoying  their 
liberty.  I  spent  the  day  with  them,  and  it  was  one  of 
the  greatest  days  of  rejoicing  in  my  life,  to  once  more 
have  the  privilege  of  conversing  with  the  Prophet,  in 
freedom. 

"  May  4th,  I  attended  a  general  conference  of  the 
Church  near  Ouincy,  at  which  the  Saints  from  all  the 
regions  round  about  assembled  It  was  a  time  which 

o 

will  long  be  remembered  by  the  Saints,  being  the  first 
conference  held  after  their  expulsion.  The  cases  of 
Brothers  William  Smith  and  Orson  Hyde  were  brought 
up.  The  conference  granted  them  the  privilege  of 
appearing  personally  before  the  next  conference  of  the 
Church  to  give  an  account  of  their  conduct,  but  in  the 
meantime  they  were  suspended  from  exercising  the 
functions  of  their  office.  The  conference  sanctioned  the 
proceedings  of  the  Twelve  on  the  Temple  block  at  Far 
West,  and  also  sanctioned  the  intended  mission  of  the 
Twelve  to  Europe. 

"The  meetings  continued  for  three  days.  Elder 
Rigdon  was  appointed  delegate  to  go  to  Washington 
and  lay  the  grievances  of  the  Saints  before  the  general 
government.  It  was  also  resolved  that  a  number  of 
Elders  should  accompany  the  Twelve  on  their  mission  to 
Europe." 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

NAUVOO     THE     BEAUTIFUL IIEBER/S    PREDICTION    OVER    THE 

FATED     CITY ELDER     RIGDOX's    ALARM HEBER's    SEC- 
OND   ENCOUNTER  WITH    EVIL  SPIRITS PARLEY    P.   PRATT 

ESCAPES    FROM    PRISON,    FULFTLLIXG  IIEBER's  PROPHECY. 

THE  scene  now  changes  to  Commerce,  afterwards 
named  Nauvoo,  the  famous  gathering  place  of  the  Saints 
in  Illinois.  Situated  in  a  graceful  bend  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Mississippi,  on  an  eminence  commanding  a  noble 
view  of  the  broad  river  and  beyond,  Nauvoo,  even  as 
the  site  of  the  lovely  city  it  soon  became,  well  merited 
its  appellation  of  "the  Beautiful." 

It  was  forty  miles  above  Ouincy,  in  which  hospitable 
town  the  exiled  Saints  had  found  a  resting  place  and 
kindly  welcome,  after  their  expulsion  from  Missouri. 

In  this  region  the  Saints  had  commenced  gathering, 
and,  having  purchased  lands,  were  now  busily  engaged 
building  up  the  new  stake  of  Zion.  The  Church  had 
been  purified  by  its  baptism  of  fire,  and  much  of  its 
human  dross  "burnt  and  purged  away."  Most  of  its 
members  that  remained  were  of  the  pure  gold,  refined 
by  suffering,  and  throughout  the  community  a  better 
feeling  prevailed  than  ever  before. 

Heber's  first  visit  to  Commerce  was  on  Sunday  the 
1 2th  of  May.  On  the  25th  he  again  went  up  the  river, 
with  several  others  of  the  Twelve,  and  spent  the  day 
in  council  with  Joseph  and  the  brethren.  While  on  the 
water,  standing  by  the  railing  of  the  boat,  gazing  in 
admiration  at  the  beautiful  site  of  Nauvoo,  Heber 


268  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

observed:  "It  is  a  very  pretty  place,  but  not  a  long 
abiding  home  for  the  Saints." 

This  remark  was  carried  to  the  ears  of  Elder  Rig- 
don  and  his  family,  who  were  comfortably  quartered 
in  a  nice  stone  house  built  by  Dr.  Isaac  Galland,  from 
whom  the  Saints  had  purchased  some  of  their  lands. 
Heber's  reputation  as  a  prophet  was  by  this  time  pretty 
well  established  in  Israel,  and  Sidney,  who  had  had  about 
as  much  persecution  as  he  could  stand,  and  was  in  nowise 
hankering  after  a  repetition  of  the  Missouri  scenes,  was 
considerably  alarmed  at  his  words,  dreading  their  pro- 
phetic potency.  At  the  council,  which  was  held  at  the 
house  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  Sidney  remarked  that  he 
had  some  feelings  against  Elder  Kimball,  and  then,  refer- 
ring to  the  prediction  of  the  latter  in  relation  to  the  city 
of  the  Saints,  said,  petulantly: 

"I  should  suppose  that  Elder  Kimball  had  passed 
through  sufferings  and  privations  and  mobbings  and 
drivings  enough,  to  learn  to  prophesy  good  concerning 
Israel." 

With  a  mixture  of  meekness  and  humor,  Heber 
replied : 

"President  Rigdon,  I'll  prophesy  good  concerning 
you  all  the  time — if  you  can  get  it." 

The  retort  amused  Joseph,  who  laughed  heartily 
with  the  brethren,  and  Elder  Rigdon  yielded  the  point. 

Joseph  now  advised  the  Apostles,  such  as  had  not 
done  so  already,  to  move  their  families  up  to  Commerce. 
Says  Heber: 

"I  immediately  went  and  moved  my  family  up  in  a 
wagon,  to  a  place  belonging  to  Brother  Bozier,  about 
one  mile  from  Commerce,  where  I  pulled  down  an  old 
stable,  and  laid  up  the  logs  at  the  back  end  of  the  Bozier 
house,  putting  a  few  shakes  on  to  cover  it ;  but  it  had 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KTMBALL.  269 

no  floor  nor  chinking;  and  in  this  condition  I  moved  my 
family  into  it ;  whenever  it  rained,  the  water  stood  near 
ankle  deep  on  the  ground.  There  were  some  half  dozen 
families  in  the  Bozier  house. 

"One  night  I  was  awakened  out  of  my  sleep  by  my 
wife  making  a  noise  as  if  choking;  I  asked  what  was 
the  matter;  she  replied  that  she  had  dreamt  that  a  per- 
sonage came  and  seized  her  by  the  throat  and  was  chok- 
ing her.  I  immediately  lit  a  candle,  and  saw  that  her 
eyes  were  sunken  and  her  nose  pinched  in,  as  if  she  was 
in  the  last  stage  of  the  cholera.  I  laid  my  hands  upon 
her  and  rebuked  that  spirit  in  the  name  of  Jesus  and  by 
the  power  of  the  holy  Priesthood,  and  commanded  it  to 
depart.  In  a  moment  afterwards  I  heard  some  half  a 
dozen  children  in  different  parts  of  the  Bozier  House 
crying  as  if  in  great  distress ;  the  cattle  began  to  bellow 
and  low ;  the  horses  neighed  and  whinnied ;  the  dogs 
barked,  and  hogs  squealed ;  the  hens  cackled,  and  the 
roosters  crowed,  and  everything  around  was  in  great 
commotion.  In  a  few  minutes  afterwards  I  was  sent  for  to 
lay  hands  on  Sister  Bentley,  formerly  the  wife  of  David  W. 
Patten,  who  was  seized  in  a  similar  manner  to  my  wife. 
My  wife  continued  quite  feeble  for  several  days  from  the 
shock. 

"One  day  while  visiting  Joseph,  he  took  me  a  walk 
by  the  river  side,  when  he  requested  me  to  relate  the 
occurrence  at  Brother  Bozier's.  After  I  had  done  so,  I 
also  told  him  of  our  vision  of  the  evil  spirits  in  England, 
on  the  opening  of  the  Gospel  to  that  people.  He  then 
gave  me  a  relation  of  many  contests  that  he  had  had 
with  Satan,  and  his  power  that  had  been  manifested  from 
time  to  time  since  the  commencement  of  bringing  forth 
the  Book  of  Mormon.  I  will  relate  one  circumstance 
that  took  place  at  Far  West,  in  a  house  that  Joseph  had 


270  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

purchased,  which  had  been  formerly  occupied  as  a  public 
house  by  some  wicked  people.  A  short  time  after  he 
got  into  it,  one  of  his  children  was  taken  very  sick ;  he 
laid  his  hands  upon  the  child,  when  it  got  better ;  as  soon 
as  he  went  out  of  doors,  the  child  was  taken  sick  again  ; 
he  again  laid  his  hands  upon  it,  so  that  it  again  recov- 
ered. This  occurred  several  times,  when  Joseph  inquired 
of  the  Lord  what  it  all  meant ;  then  he  had  an  open  vision, 
and  saw  the  devil  in  person,  who  contended  with  Joseph, 
face  to  face,  for  some  time.  He  said  it  was  his  house,  it 
belonged  to  him,  and  Joseph  had  no  right  there.  Then 
Joseph  rebuked  Satan  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  he 
departed  and  touched  the  child  no  more. 

"July  2nd,  I  went  with  Joseph,  Hyrum,  Sidney  and 
others,  over  the  river  to  Montrose ;  rode  four  miles  and 
looked  out  the  site  of  the  town  of  Zarahemla.  We  dined 
at  Brother  Woodruffs.  After  dinner  we  all  went  to 
Brigham  Young's,  when  Wilford  Woodruff  and  George 
A.  Smith  were  blessed  as  two  of  the  Twelve  Apostles ; 
and  Theodore  Turley  was  blessed  as  a  Seventy.  Brother 
Hyrum  gave  the  Twelve  some  good  advice  on  the  nature 
of  their  mission ;  to  practice  prudence  and  humility  in 
their  preaching,  and  to  strictly  hold  on  to  the  authority 
of  the  Priesthood.  Brother  Joseph  taught  many  glorious 
and  important  principles  to  benefit  and  bless  them  on 
their  mission ;  teaching  them  to  observe  charity,  wisdom, 
and  a  fellow  feeling  for  each  other,  and  love  one  towards 
another,  in  all  things,  and  under  all  circumstances,  unfold- 
ing keys  of  knowledge,  to  detect  Satan,  and  preserve  us 
in  the  favor  of  God." 

Some  time  before  Heber  had  written  to  Elder 
Parley  P.  Pratt,  who  was  still  in  prison  in  Missouri,  giv- 
ing him  the  particulars  of  the  conference  at  Far  West, 
on  the  26th  of  April,  with  the  resolution  of  the  Priest- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  271 

hood  that  the  Twelve  should  have  their  shackles  stricken 
off,  and  go  forth  preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  world,  leav- 
ing their  families  to  be  provided  for,  in  their  absence,  by 
the  Bishops.  He  added  : 

"The  Presidency  feel  well  towards  you.  They  say 
you  must  come  out  of  that  place,  and  so  I  say;  for  I  do 
not  feel  as  though  I  can  go  to  England  until  I  take  you 
by  the  hand.  When  this  takes  place  my  joy  will  be  full. 
Be  of  good  cheer,  brother;  a  few  days  now,  and  you 
shall  see  the  salvation  of  God ;  and  I  shall  see  you  in 
other  lands,  publishing  peace  to  the  captives.  My  deter- 
mination is  to  be  a  man  of  God,  and  to  try  to  save  souls 
from  their  sins,  let  others  clo  as  they  may.  I  will  try  to 
keep  my  eye  on  the  mark,  that  is,  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
living  God,  His  grace  assisting  me.  The  Twelve  have 
all  left  Ouincy.  Your  brother  Orson  is  about  twenty-five 
miles  from  here.  Whatever  you  do,  do  quickly! 

"July  loth,"  continues  the  prophet  Heber,  "Elder 
Parley  P.  Pratt  arrived  from  his  imprisonment  in  Mis- 
souri. When  I  heard  that  he  was  in  Ouincy  I  went  there 
and  assisted  him  and  Orson  Pratt  up  to  Commerce.  His 
escape  caused  much  rejoicing  among  the  Saints.  A  few 
days  afterwards  he  and  I  purchased  five  acres  each,  of 
woodland,  from  Hyrum  Kimball.  They  lay  adjoining 
each  other,  one  mile  from  the  river.  He  and  I  went  to 
work  to  cut  each  a  set  of  logs  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet 
in  length,  which  we  cut  in  one  day.  We  then  invited 
some  of  the  old  citizens,  viz.,  Brother  Bozier,  D.  H.  Wells, 
Lewis  Robison  and  others  to  come  and  assist  us  to  put 
them  up  ;  as  our  people  were  mostly  prostrate  by  sick- 
ness. We  drew  them  and  put  them  up  the  next  day.  I 
got  a  man  to  assist  me  to  hew  puncheon  for  the  floor,  and 
to  make  some  shakes  to  cover  the  roof,  which  were  similar 
to  a  shingle,  or  a  stave  for  a  barrel.  I  drew  the  rock 


272  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

and  built  a  chimney,  and  just  got  to  the  ridge  of  the 
house,  when  I  was  taken  down  prostrate  by  the  chills 
and  fever.  My  wife  was  also  laid  prostrate.  In  the 
meantime  Brother  Orson  Pratt  moved  his  family  into  the 
little  shanty  with  me." 


CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

AN    EPIDEMIC    OF    DISEASE JOSEPH    HEALS     THE    MULTITUDE 

BRIGHAM     AND    HEBER    START    ON    THEIR    MISSION    TO 

ENGLAND SICKNESS     BY     THE    WAY HEBER    POISONED 

HIS    LIFE    SAVED    BY    BRIGHAM. 

TWELVE  months  had  elapsed  since  the  word  of  the 
Lord  came  for  the  Apostles  to  depart  and  "go  over  the 
great  waters"  to  promulgate  the  Gospel.  They  had 
fulfilled  the  revelation  in  so  far  as  to  take  leave  of  the 
Saints  in  Far  West,  at  the  time  and  place  appointed,  but 
the  toils  and  trials  incident  to  settling  their  new  home 
had  unavoidably  delayed  their  departure  from  America. 

One  of  these  trials  was  an  epidemic  which  swept 
over  Nauvoo  and  the  neighboring  towns,  prostrating 
many  of  the  inhabitants  with  sickness ;  partly  due,  no 
doubt,  to  the  moist,  malarial  nature  of  the  soil  in  and 
around  the  lower  portions  of  the  new  settlement,  but 
greatly  enhanced  by  the  physical  weakness  of  the  Saints, 
resulting  from  their  recent  privations  and  sufferings  in 
Missouri.  So  general  and  widespread  was  the  sickness 
that  scarcely  a  family  in  Nauvoo  or  the  vicinity  entirely 
escaped  the  scourge. 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  273 

But  this  unhappy  condition  of  affairs — rendered 
doubly  disheartening  from  following  so  closely  upon  the 
Missouri  troubles — was  not  without  its  recompense.  It 
was  the  occasion  of  a  marvelous  and  miraculous  display 
of  divine  power  in  behalf  of  the  Lord's  afflicted  people. 
Heber  thus  describes  the  event: 

"July  22nd,  the  Prophet  Joseph  arose  from  his  bed 
of  sickness,  when  the  power  of  God  rested  upon  him, 
and  he  went  forth  administering  to  the  sick.  He  com- 
menced with  the  sick  in  his  own  house,  then  visited  those 
who  were  camping  in  tents  in  his  own  dooryard,  command- 
ing the  sick  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  arise 
from  their  beds  and  be  whole  ;  when  they  were  healed 
according  to  his  words.  He  then  went  from  house  to 
house,  and  from  tent  to  tent,  upon  the  bank  of  the  river, 
healing  the  sick  by  the  power  of  Israel's  God,  as  he  went 
among  them.  He  did  not  miss  a  single  house,  wagon  or 
tent,  and  continued  this  work  up  to  '  the  upper  stone 
house,'  where  he  crossed  the  river  in  a  boat,  accompanied 
by  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  John  E.  Page,  John 
Taylor  and  myself,  and  landed  at  Montrose.  He  then 
walked  into  the  cabin  of  Brother  Brigham  Young,  who 
was  lying  very  sick,  and  commanded  him  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  arise  and  be  made  whole.  He 
arose,  healed  of  his  sickness,  and  then  accompanied 
Joseph  and  his  brethren  of  the  Twelve,  and  went  into  the 
house  of  Brother  Elijah  Fordham,  who  was  insensible, 
and  considered  by  his  family  and  friends  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  death.  Joseph  stepped  to  his  bedside,  looked 
him  in  the  eye  for  a  minute  without  speaking,  then  took 
him  by  the  hand  and  commanded  him  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  arise  from  his  bed  and  walk.  Brother 
Fordham  immediately  leaped  out  of  his  bed,  threw  off  all 
his  poultices  and  bandages,  dressed  himself,  called  for  a 


18 


274  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

bowl  of  bread  and  milk,  which  he  ate,  and  then  followed 
us  into  the  street.  We  then  went  into  the  house  of 
Joseph  B.  Noble,  who  was  also  very  sick,  and  he  was 
healed  in  the  same  manner. 

''Joseph   spoke  with   the  voice  and  power  of  God. 

"When  he  had  healed  all  the  sick  by  the  power 
given  unto  him  he  went  down  to  the  ferry  boat,  when  a 
stranger  rode  up  almost  breathless,  and  said  that  he  had 
heard  that  Joseph  Smith  was  raising  the  dead,  and  heal- 
ing all  of  the  sick,  and  his  wife  begged  him  to  ride  up 
and  get  Mr.  Smith  to  go  down  and  heal  her  twin  children, 
about  three  months  old.  Joseph  replied,  'I  cannot  go, 
but  will  send  some  one.'  In  a  few  minutes  he  said  to 
Elder  Woodruff,  '  You  go  and  heal  those  children,  and 
take  this  pocket  handkerchief,  and  when  you  administer 
to  them,  wipe  their  faces  with  it,  and  they  shall  recover.' 
Brother  Woodruff  did  as  he  was  commanded,  and  the 
children  were  healed. 

"The  mob  spirits,  when  they  saw  men  whom  they 
thought  were  dying,  arise  from  their  beds,  and  pray  for 
others,  stood  paralyzed  with  fear;  yet  those  same  men 
would  have  killed  Joseph  and  his  brethren  if  they  had 
had  an  opportunity.  Joseph  recrossed  the  river  to 
his  own  home  and  I  returned  to  mine,  rejoicing  in  the 
mercies  and  goodness  of  God.  This  was  a  day  never  to 
be  forgotten  by  the  Saints  ;  nor  by  the  wicked ;  for  they 
saw  the  power  of  God  manifest  in  the  flesh." 

"August  4th,  being  Sunday,  the  Saints  met  to  par- 
take of  the  sacrament,  and  received  an  exhortation  from 
the  Prophet  Joseph,  impressing  upon  them  the  necessity 
of  being  righteous  and  clean  of  heart  before  the  Lord. 
He  also  commanded  the  Twelve  to  go  forth  without 
purse  or  scrip,  according  to  the  revelations  of  Jesus 
Christ. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  275 

" During  the  night  of  August  23rd,  my  son,  David 
Patten,  was  born  in  Commerce,  in  the  log  cabin  I  had  put 
up  at  the  end  of  the  Bozier  house.  We  had  a  heavy 
thunderstorm  that  night,  but  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
over  us.  As  soon  as  my  wife  was  able  I  moved  my 
family  into  the  new  log  house  that  I  had  built." 

September  came,  and  the  Apostles  prepared  to  take 
leave  of  their  families  and  friends  and  depart  on  their 
mission  to  Europe.  Again  the  evil  one  laid  his  plans  to 
circumvent  them.  As  he  once  afflicted  righteous  Job, 
striving  to  overthrow  his  trust  in  God,  he  now  sought  by 
similar  means  to  undermine  the  faith  and  integrity  of 
these  latter-day  servants  of  the  Lord.  But  his  efforts 
were  unavailing ;  he  had  the  same  class  of  spirits  to  con- 
tend with  as  in  days  of  old ;  men  who  could  say  with 
the  patient  man  of  Uz,  though  bowed  in  sorrow  and 
humiliation:  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,"  and 
"though  He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him." 

"September  i4th,"  says  Heber,  "President  Brigham 
Young  left  his  home  at  Montrose  to  start  on  the  mission 
to  England.  He  was  so  sick  that  he  was  unable  to  go 
to  the  Mississippi,  a  distance  of  thirty  rods,  without 
assistance.  After  he  had  crossed  the  river  he  rode 
behind  Israel  Barlow  on  his  horse  to  my  house,  where 
he  continued  sick  until  the  i8th.  He  left  his  wife  sick 
with  a  babe  only  three  weeks  old,  and  all  his  other  child- 
ren were  sick  and  unable  to  wait  upon  each  other.  Not 
one  soul  of  them  was  able  to  go  to  the  well  for  a  pail  of 
water,  and  they  were  without  a  second  suit  to  their  backs, 
for  the  mob  in  Missouri  had  taken  nearly  all  he  had. 
On  the  1 7th  Sister  Mary  Ann  Young  got  a  boy  to  carry 
her  up  in  his  wagon  to  my  house,  that  she  might 
nurse  and  comfort  Brother  Brigham  to  the  hour  of 
starting. 


276  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"  September  i8th,  Charles  Hubbard  sent  his  boy 
with  a  wagon  and  span  of  horses  to  my  house  ;  our 
trunks  were  put  into  the  wagon  by  some  brethren ;  I 
went  to  my  bed  and  shook  hands  with  my  wife  who  was 
then  shaking  with  a  chill,  having  two  children  lying  sick 
by  her  side ;  I  embraced  her  and  my  children,  and  bade 
them  farewell.  My  only  well  child  was  little  Heber  P., 
and  it  was  with  difficulty  he  could  carry  a  couple  of 
quarts  of  water  at  a  time,  to  assist  in  quenching  their 
thirst. 

"It  was  with  difficulty  we  got  into  the  wagon,  and 
started  down  the  hill  about  ten  rods ;  it  appeared  to  me 
as  though  my  very  inmost  parts  would  melt  within  me  at 
leaving  my  family  in  such  a  condition,  as  it  were  almost 
in  the  arms  of  death.  I  felt  as  though  I  could  not  endure 
it.  I  asked  the  teamster  to  stop,  and  said  to  Brother 
Brigham,  'This  is  pretty  tough,  isn't  it;  let's  rise  up  and 
give  them  a  cheer.'  We  arose,  and  swinging  our  hats 
three  times  over  our  heads,  shouted:  'Hurrah,  hurrah 
for  Israel.'  Vilate,  hearing  the  noise,  arose  from  her 
bed  and  came  to  the  door.  She  had  a  smile  on  her  face. 
Vilate  and  Mary  Ann  Young  cried  out  to  us:  'Good 
bye,  God  bless  you/  We  returned  the  compliment,  and 
then  told  the  driver  to  go  ahead.  After  this  I  felt  a  spirit 
of  joy  and  gratitude,  having  had  the  satisfaction  of  see- 
ing my  wife  standing  upon  her  feet,  instead  of  leaving 
her  in  bed,  knowing  well  that  I  should  not  see  them  again 
for  two  or  three  years. 

"We  were  without  purse  or  scrip,  and  were  carried 
across  the  prairie,  about  fourteen  miles,  to  a  shanty  near 
the  railway,  where  Brother  O.  M.  Duel  lived.  We  were 
unable  to  carry  our  small  trunks  into  the  house ;  Sister 
Duel  seeing  our  feeble  condition,  assisted  the  boy  to 
carry  them  in. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  277 

"Sep.  iQth,  Brother  Duel  took  us  in  his  wagon  to 
Lima,  about  twelve  miles.  When  he  left  us  he  grave 
each  of  us  a  dollar.  Brother  Bidwell  then  carried  us  in 
his  wagon  to  John  A.  Mickesell's,  near  Quincy,  about 
twenty  miles.  The  fatigue  of  this  day's  journey  was  too 
much  for  our  feeble  health  ;  we  were  prostrated,  and 
obliged  to  tarry  a  few  days  in  Quincy. 

"Sep.  25th,  we  left  Quincy  about  n  a.  m.,  as  we  felt 
considerably  better.  My  sorrow  was  great,  to  see  so 
many  of  our  brethren  sick  and  dying,  in  consequence  of 
being  driven,  and  exposed  to  hunger  and  cold.  Brother 
Lyman  Wight  took  us  in  a  one  horse  wagon  and  carried 
us  to  Brother  C.  C.  Rich's  at  Burton,  where  we  slept 
through  the  night.  Brother  Wight  predicted  many 
things,  and  left  his  blessings  with  us  when  he  bade  us 
farewell. 

"Sep.  26th,  Brother  Rich  carried  us  to  Brother  Wil- 
ber's ;  while  on  the  road  the  chills  came  on  me  again,  and 
I  suffered  much  pain  and  fatigue. 

"Sep.  27th,  Brother  Wilber  took  us  in  a  buggy 
about  twenty-five  miles  to  the  house  of  James  Allred,  in 
Pittsfield. 

"Sep.  28th,  Father  Allred  carried  us  to  the  place 
where  Brother  Harlow  Redfield  lived.  There  we 
preached  to  a  small  branch  of  the  Church,  on  Sunday, 
29th. 

"Sep.  3oth,  Brother  Rodgers  carried  Brother  Brig- 
ham  to  Brother  Decker's,  and  myself  to  Mr.  Roswell 
Murray's  ;  they  were  living  within  a  few  rods  of  each 
other,  near  Winchester  in  Scott  County. 

"Here  we  also  found  a  few  brethren  in  the  Church, 
who  had  been  smitten  and  robbed  of  their  property  in 
Missouri;  who  were  once  more  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances, rejoicing  in  the  Lord. 


278  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

''Oct.  ist,  we  were  carried  to  Lorenzo  D.  Young's, 
a  brother  of  Brigham  Young,  where  we  stayed  and 
recruited  our  strength  until  the  4th,  when  he^carried  us 
to  Jacksonville,  where  we  stayed  the  night. 

"Oct.  5th,  a  sister  in  the  Church  hired  a  horse  and 
buggy  to  carry  us  to  Springfield,  and  Brother  Babcock 
drove  us  there,  a  distance  of  thirty-five  miles,  where  we 
were  gladly  received  by  the  brethren  and  nursed. 
Brother  Brigham  was  confined  to  his  bed  by  sickness. 
Brother  Libius  T.  Coon,  who  was  practicing  ^medicine, 
attended  upon  him.  Here  we  found  Brothers  G.  A. 
Smith,  Turley,  and  R.  Hedlock. 

"I  went  from  house  to  house,  strengthening  the 
brethren  and  teaching  them  the  things  of  the  kingdom. 
I  was  so  far  recovered  that  I  preached  on  the  Sabbath. 
They  got  a  two  horse  wagon  and  harness,  for  which  they 
paid  fifty-five  dollars,  and  collected  thirty-five  dollars  in 
money,  for  the  company. 

"Judge  Adams,  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  took  me  to  his  house ;  I  stayed  with  him  three 
nights  and  the  most  part  of  three  days.  He  gave  me 
five  dollars  when  I  left.  My  father-in-law,  Roswell  Mur- 
ray, went  with  us  on  a  visit  to  his  friends  in  the  East. 

"Oct.  nth,  resumed  my  journey  in  company  with 
Brothers  Young,  Turley,  Smith,  Hedlock  and  Murray. 
The  brethren  exchanged  horses  in  Springfield,  and  with 
the  assistance  we  received  from  the  brethren  living  there, 
we  succeeded  in  obtaining  one  horse  and  a  two-horse 
wagon,  in  which  the  sisters  fitted  up  a  bed  for  Brother 
Brigham  to  ride  on,  as  he  was  unable  to  sit  up.  We 
traveled  eight  miles  with  the  three-horse  team,  and  put 
up  at  the  house  of  Father  Baker.  When  we  went  into 
the  house,  Brother  George  A.  Smith,  while  stooping 
down  to  warm  him  at  the  fire,  dropped  a  small  flask 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  2/9 

bottle,  containing  tonic  bitters,  out  of  his  pocket,  on  the 
hearth,  and  broke  it;  at  this  occurrence  Father  Baker 
was  very  much  astonished,  and  said,  'You're  a  pretty  set 
of  Apostles,  to  be  carrying  a  bottle  of  whisky  with  you.' 
We  explained  to  him  that  the  bottle  contained  some 
bitters  which  the  brethren  at  Springfield  had  prepared 
for  George  A.  because  of  his  sickness ;  this  appeased  his 
righteous  soul,  so  that  he  consented  to  allow  us  to  stay 
through  the  night. 

"Oct.  1 2th,  we  pursued  our  journey  towards  Terre 
Haute  ;  traveled  all  day ;  most  of  the  brethren  being  very 
sick  I  walked  most  of  the  way ;  at  night  I  slept  in  the 
wagon  with  my  father-in-law  and  Brother  Hedlock,  and 
caught  cold ;  the  next  morning  I  had  to  go  until  twelve 
o'clock  before  I  had  anything  to  eat,  and  then  it  was 
transparent  pork  and  corn  dodger.  My  health  again 
began  to  fail ;  the  wagon  broke  down  twice,  and  the  chills 
came  on  me  about  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  held  me  till 
night;  then  the  fever  held  me  all  night.  I  had  the  chills 
and  fever  three  days,  and  lost  my  appetite.  The  third 
chill  was  so  severe  that  it  seemed  as  though  I  could  not  live 
till  night.  We  arrived  at  Terre  Haute  about  dusk  on 
the  1 7th;  Brother  Young  and  I  put  up  at  Dr.  Modisett's. 
In  the  evening  I  became  very  ill.  The  doctor  said  he 
could  give  me  something  that  would  do  me  good,  that 
would  relieve  me  of  my  distress,  and  I  would  probably 
get  a  nap ;  but  the  old  man  was  so  drunk  that  he  did  not 
know  what  he  did,  and  he  gave  me  a  tablespoonful  of 
morphine ;  his  wife  saw  him  pour  it  out,  but  dared  not 
say  a  word,  although  she  believed  it  would  kill  me.  In  a 
few  minutes  after  I  took  it,  I  straightened  up  in  my  chair, 
complaining  of  feeling  very  strange,  and  felt  as  though  I 
wanted  to  lie  down.  On  my  attempting  to  go  to  the 
bed,  I  reeled  and  fell  to  the  floor.  There  was  hardly  a 


28O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

breath  of  life  in  my  body.  Brother  Brigham  rolled  me 
over  on  my  back,  put  a  pillow  under  my  head,  and 
inquired  of 'the  doctor  what  he  had  given  me,  and  then 
learned  that  he  had  given  me  morphine.  I  lay  there  for 
a  long  time ;  when  I  came  to,  Brother  Brigham  was 
attending  to  me  with  a  fatherly  care,  and  manifesting 
much  anxiety  in  my  behalf.  I  told  him,  '  Don't  be  scared, 
for  I  sha'n't  die.'  In  a  short  time  after  he  had  got  me  on 
the  bed,  I  commenced  vomiting,  and  continued  doing  so 
most  of  the  night.  It  was  through  the  closest  attention 
of  Brother  Young  and  the  family  that  my  life  was  pre- 
served through  the  night.  In  the  morning  Brothers 
Smith,  Turley,  Hedlock  and  Murray  came  to  see  us. 
They  laid  their  hands  on  me  and  prayed  for  me.  When 
they  left  they  wept.  Father  Murray  felt  very  sorrowful; 
said  he,  'we  shall  never  see  Heber  again;  he  will  die.' 
I  looked  up  at  them  and  said,  'Never  mind,  brethren,  go 
ahead,  for  Brother  Brigham  and  I  will  reach  Kirtland 
before  you  will.'  Brother  Brigham  gave  them  all  the 
money  we  had  except  five  dollars,  and  told  them  to  take 
good  care  of  the  team,  and  make  all  possible  speed  to 
Kirtland.  They  started  the  same  day.  In  about  an  hour 
after  they  departed  I  arose  from  my  bed." 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

ON    TO     KIRTLAND MIRACULOUSLY     SUPPLIED    WITH     MONEY 

CONDITION    OF    AFFAIRS  AT    THE   OLD    CHURCH    HEAD- 
QUARTERS. 

HAVING  partly  recovered  from  the  effects  of  this 
narrow  escape  from  death,  Heber  and  his  fellow  Apostle 
resumed  their  journey  to  Kirtland.  The  record  con- 
tinues : 

"October  23rd,  Brother  James  Modisett  took  us  in 
his  father's  carriage  twenty  miles,  to  the  house  of  Brother 
Addison  Pratt.  From  thence  we  were  carried  by  Dr. 
Knight  to  Pleasant  Garden,  and  put  up  with  Brother 
Jonathan  Crosby.  We  found  a  few  brethren  who  were 
well  and  in  good  spirits.  We  remained  there  three 
days,  preaching  to  the  few  brethren,  and  those  who 
wished  to  hear.  Dr.  Knight  and  some  others  gave  us 
some  money  to  assist  us  on  our  mission. 

"Oct.  25th,  I  received  a  letter  from  my  wife,  giving 
an  account  of  her  sickness  since  I  left;  also  of  our 
children  William  and  Helen. 

"Oct.  26th,  Brother  Babbitt  took  us  in  his  buggy 
twelve  miles,  to  the  house  of  Brother  Scott ;  they  were 
very  glad  to  see  us,  and  we  tarried  with  them  through 
the  night. 

"Oct.  27th,  Brother  Scott  sent  his  little  son  John, 
who  carried  us  to  Belleville,  fifteen  miles — several  miles 
of  the  journey  in  a  rain  storm,  which  obliged  us  to  put  up 
at  an  inn  for  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  night.  Brother 
Brigham  was  very  sick  and  obliged  to  go  to  bed.  I  sat 
up  and  waited  upon  him,  and  spent  the  evening  with  the 


282  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

landlord  and  his  lady,  preaching  to  them ;  they  received 
our  testimony  and  were  very  kind  to  us. 

"The  next  morning  we  took  stage,  and  started  on 
our  way  towards  Kirtland.  While  in  Pleasant  Garden 
we  obtained  some  money,  so  that  with  the  five  dollars 
we  had  left  when  the  brethren  left  us  on  the  1 8th  it 
amounted  to  $13.50.  When  we  got  into  the  stage  we 
did  not  expect  to  ride  many  miles.  We  rode  as  far  as 
Indianapolis,  paid  our  passage,  and  found  we  had  suffi- 
cient means  to  carry  us  to  Richmond,  Indiana. 

"When  we  arrived  at  Richmond  we  found  we  had 
means  to  take  us  to  Dayton,  to  which  place  we  pro- 
ceeded and  tarried  over  night,  waiting  for  another  line 
of  stages.  We  expected  to  stop  here  and  preach  until 
we  got  means  to  pursue  our  journey.  Brother  Brigham 
went  to  his  trunk  to  get  money  to  pay  the  bill,  and  found 
we  had  sufficient  to  pay  our  passages  to  Columbus,  to 
which  place  we  took  passage  in  the  stage  and  tarried 
over  night.  When  he  paid  the  bill  he  found  he  had 
sufficient  means  to  pay  our  passage  to  Worcester.  We 
tarried  till  the  after  part  of  the  day  and  then  took  pas- 
sage to  Worcester.  When  we  arrived  there,  Brother 
Brigham  went  to  his  trunk  again  to  get  money  to  pay 
our  bill,  and  found  sufficient  to  pay  our  passages  to  Cleve- 
land. When  we  reached  a  little  town  called  Strongs- 
ville,  about  twenty  miles  from  Cleveland,  towards  even- 
ing, Brother  Brigham  had  a  strong  impression  to  stop 
at  a  tavern  when  we  first  came  into  the  town  ;  but  the 
stage  did  not  stop  there,  so  we  went  on.  We  arrived  at 
Cleveland  about  1 1  o'clock  at  night,  took  lodgings,  and 
remained  till  next  morning. 

"Nov.  3rd,  being  Sunday,  in  the  morning  we  went 
to  the  Episcopalian  church.  While  returning  to  the  hotel 
we  met  my  father-in-law,  and  learned  that  Elders  Turley, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  283 

Smith  and  Hedlock  had  just  arrived  in  Cleveland.  Father 
Murray  was  as  much  astonished  to  see  me  alive  as 
though  he  had  seen  one  risen  from  the  dead.  I  don't 
think  I  ever  saw  a  man  feel  better  than  he  did  when  I 
met  him  in  the  street.  We  walked  with  him  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  met  the  brethren  who  were  in  good  health, 
compared  with  what  they  had  been,  and  in  fine  spirits. 
We  learned  that  they  stopped  at  the  tavern  in  Strongs- 
ville,  where  Brother  Brigham  had  such  strong  impres- 
sions to  stop  the  night  previous.  They  had  picked  up 
Elder  John  Taylor,  at  Dayton,  where  he  was  left  at  a 
tavern  very  sick  with  the  ague  and  fever  a  few  days 
before,  by  Father  Coltrin,  who  proceeded  to  Kirtland. 

"Brothers  Taylor  and  Hedlock  got  into  the  stage 
with  us,  which  left  early  in  the  afternoon ;  they  rode  as 
far  as  Willoughby.  We  proceeded  to  Kirtland  and 
arrived  the  same  evening,  thus  fulfilling  the  prediction 
made  on  my  sick  bed. 

"Brother  Brigham  had  one  York  shilling  left,  and 
on  looking  over  our  expenses  we  found  we  had  paid  out 
over  $87.00  out  of  the  $13.50  we  had  at  Pleasant 
Garden,  which  is  all  the  money  we  had  to  pay  our  pas- 
sages with.  We  had  traveled  over  400  miles  by  stage, 
for  which  we  paid  from  8  to  10  cents  a  mile,  and  had 
eaten  three  meals  a  day,  for  each  of  which  we  were 
charged  fifty  cents,  also  fifty  cents  for  our  lodgings. 
Brother  Brigham  often  suspected  that  I  put  the  money 
in  his  trunk,  or  clothes  ;  thinking  that  I  had  a  purse  of 
money  which  I  had  not  acquainted  him  with  ;  but  this 
was  not  so ;  the  money  could  only  have  been  put  in  his 
trunk  by  some  heavenly  messenger,  who  thus  adminis- 
tered to  our  necessities  daily  as  he  knew  we  needed. 

"I  made  my  home  at  Dean  Gould's  at  the  house  of 
Ira  Bond.  The  family  were  all  very  kind  to  me,  and 


284  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

made  me  as  comfortable  as  they  could.  I  remained  with 
them  most  of  the  time  I  was  in  Kirtland,  two  days  of 
which  I  was  sick  with  chills  and  fever. 

"  There  was  a  division  of  sentiment  among  the 
brethren  in  Kirtland,  many  of  whom  had  lacked  the 
energy  to  move  to  Missouri,  while  some  lacked  the 
inclination.  On  Sunday,  Elder  Taylor  preached  in  the 
Temple  in  the  forenoon  and  I  preached  in  the  afternoon. 
I  compared  the  people  there  to  a  parcel  of  old  earthen 
pots  that  were  cracked  in  burning,  for  they  were  mostly 
apostates  who  were  living  there.  Martin  Harris,  Cyrus 
Smalling  and  others  were  much  offended  at  what  I  said, 
and  asked  me  whom  I  referred  to  in  my  comparisons. 
'No  one  in  particular,'  said  I,  'but  to  anyone  whom  the 
coat  fits.'  John  Moreton  and  others  declared  I  should 
never  preach  in  the  house  again.  On  the  Sunday  follow- 
ing, Brother  Brigham  and  Brother  Taylor  were  the 
speakers. 

"While  we  tarried,  a  council  was  held  with  Brothers 
Kellogg,  Moreton  and  others  who  took  the  lead  in  Kirt- 
land. We  proposed  that  some  of  the  Elders  should 
remain  there  and  preach  for  a  few  weeks.  John  Moreton 
replied  that  they  had  had  many  talented  preachers,  and 
he  considered  that  men  of  such  ordinary  talents  as  were 
on  this  mission  could  do  no  good  in  Kirtland.  He 
thought  probably  Brother  John  Taylor  might  do,  but  he 
was  not  sure." 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  APOSTLES  SAIL  FOR  ENGLAND GROWTH  OF  THE  BRITISH 

MISSION  DURING  HEBER's    ABSENCE LABORS  OF  ELDERS 

WOODRUFF      AND      TAYLOR FIRST      COUNCIL      OF      THE 

TWELVE      AMONG      THE     NATIONS WILLARD     RICHARDS 

ORDAINED  AN  APOSTLE. 

JOURNEYING  eastward,  the  Apostles  arrived  in  New 
York,  where  they  tarried  for  some  time,  preaching  the 
Gospel  and  adding  new  members  to  the  Church  in  that 
city.  On  the  iQth  of  December,  1840,  Apostles  John 
Taylor  and  Wilford  Woodruff,  with  Elder  Theodore 
Turley  and  others,  sailed  for  Liverpool  on  board  the 
Oxford.  Three  months  later  to  a  day,  Apostles  Young 
and  Kimball,  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  George  A. 
Smith  and  Elder  Reuben  Hedlock  followed  in  their  wake 
on  board  the  Patrick  Henry. 

After  a  very  stormy  passage,  they  reached  Liver- 
pool on  the  sixth  of  April,  the  anniversary  of  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Church,  ten  years  before.  They  there 
found  Elder  John  Taylor  with  about  thirty  Saints  who 
had  just  received  the  Gospel  in  that  place.  A  day  or 
two  later  they  went  on  to  Preston  by  railroad,  where 
Heber  and  his  companions  were  warmly  welcomed  by  a 
multitude  of  Saints  who  had  assembled  there  to  meet 
them.  They  arrived  in  Preston  on  the  anniversary  of 
Heber's  departure  in  1838. 

It  will  now  be  proper  to  take  a  brief  retrospective 
view  of  the  progress  of  the  British  Mission  during  the 
two  years  interim  between  the  departure  of  Elders  Kim- 


286  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

ball  and  Hyde  for  America,  and  the  return  of  Heber  to 
the  scene  of  his  former  successful  labors.  The  most 
important  event  that  had  taken  place  in  this  interval  was 
the  planting  of  the  Gospel  standard  in  the  great  manu- 
facturing town  of  Manchester.  This  opening  was  made 
by  Elder  William  Clayton,  in  October,  1838.  The 
branch  in  that  place  grew  so  rapidly  as  to  soon  rival 
Preston,  and  in  a  short  time  it  became  the  headquarters 
of  the  whole  British  Mission. 

Scotland  had  also  been  opened  by  Elders  Mulliner 
and  Wright,  though  the  work  had  as  yet  taken  little  root 
in  that  land. 

In  and  around  Preston  and  the  other  towns  and  vil- 
lages opened  during  the  first  mission  of  the  Elders  to 
England,  the  work  had  gradually  spread  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Elders  Fielding,  Richards  and  Clayton. 

During  the  stormy  period  which  had  just  spent  its 
fierceness  upon  the  Saints  in  America,  the  Church  in 
England  had  not  escaped  persecution,  though,  compared 
with  the  sufferings  of  the  former,  the  trials  of  the  British 
Saints  were  a  mere  bagatelle.  A  novel  incident  con- 
nected with  the  death  of  one  of  the  Saints — the  first 
death  that  occurred  in  the  mission — is  thus  related  : 

"Sister  Alice  Hodgin  died  at  Preston,  September 
2nd,  1838,  and  it  was  such  a  wonderful  thing  for  a  Lat- 
ter-day Saint  to  die  in  England  that  Elder  Richards  was 
arraigned  before  the  Mayor's  Court  at  Preston,  October 
3rd,  charged  with  'killing  and  slaying  the  said  Alice  with 
a  black  stick,'  etc.,  but  was  discharged  without  being  per- 
mitted to  make  his  defense,  as  soon  as  it  was  discovered 
that  the  iniquity  of  his  accusers  was  about  to  be  made 
manifest. 

The  arrival  of  Apostles  Taylor  and  Woodruff  at 
Liverpool  on  the  nth  of  January,  1840,  opened  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  287 

second  period  of  the  British  Mission.  They  were  wel- 
comed by  Mr.  George  Cannon,  brother-in-law  of  Elder 
Taylor  and  father  of  George  Q.  Cannon,  the  present 
Apostle,  then  a  mere  youth,  and  not  yet  connected  with 
the  cause  in  which  he  was  destined  to  play  so  important 
a  part.  Sunday  they  spent  in  Liverpool,  and  the  next 
day  proceeded  on  to  Preston. 

At  a  council  held  at  the  house  of  Willard  Richards, 
after  the  arrival  of  these  Apostles,  it  was  arranged  that 
Elders  John  Taylor  and  Joseph  Fielding  should  go  to 
Liverpool,  and  lift  the  standard  of  Mormonism  in  that 
important  city ;  Hyrum  Clark  to  Manchester,  where 
Elder  Clayton  was  given  charge  of  Church  affairs ;  and 
Wilford  Woodruff  and  Theodore  Turley  to  the  Potteries 
in  Staffordshire,  and  to  Birmingham  if  the  Spirit  so  led. 
Elder  Richards  was  to  have  the  privilege  of  "moving 
wherever  the  Spirit  directed."  The  Elders  were 
instructed  to  report  to  their  respective  presidents. 

On  the  following  day,  January  i8th,  after  meeting 
and  blessing  each  other,  the  brethren  separated  and 
departed  for  their  various  fields  of  labor. 

The  marvelous  success  of  Apostle  Woodruff  in 
Staffordshire  and  Herefordshire,  in  the  latter  of  which 
counties,  in  a  little  over  one  month,  he  converted  several 
hundred  souls,  including  upwards  of  forty  preachers  of 
the  United  Brethren ;  with  the  important  labors  of  Elder 
Taylor  in  Liverpool  and  vicinity,  and  of  Elder  Turley  in 
Birmingham,  (which  town  became  a  Mormon  stronghold 
second  only  in  importance  to  London)  would  fill  a  vol- 
ume in  themselves.  We  can  barely  glance  at  such 
achievements  in  following  the  individual  history  of  Heber 
C.  Kimball. 

Immediately  upon  the  arrival  of  President  Young 
and  the  Apostles  who  accompanied  him,  a  council  of  the 


288  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Twelve  and  a  conference  of  the  Saints  was  called  to  con- 
vene at  Preston  on  the  i4th  of  April. 

At  this  gathering  there  were  present  of  the  Apostles, 
Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff  and  George 
A.  Smith.  Brigham  Young  was  called  to  the  chair,  and 
was  unanimously  sustained  as  the  standing  President  of 
the  Twelve.  Willard  Richards  was  ordained  an  Apostle 
and  added  to  the  quorum  by  unanimous  voice,  and 
according  to  previous  appointment  by  revelation. 

It  was  moved  by  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  seconded 
by  Willard  Richards  that  twenty  of  the  Seventies,  or 
more  at  the  discretion  of  the  President,  be  sent  for  to 
assist  in  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

On  the  second  day  of  the  council  Heber  C.  Kimball 
was  the  presiding  Apostle.  The  various  branches  of  the 
Church  in  England  and  Scotland  were  represented,  show- 
ing an  aggregate  membership  of  1671  souls,  including 
the  Priesthood.  The  official  numbers  were  as  follows : 
Elders,  34;  Priests,  52;  Teachers,  38;  Deacons,  8. 
Total  of  Priesthood,  132.  President  Kimball  laid  before 
the  meeting  the  importance  and  propriety  of  ordaining 
a  Patriarch  to  give  patriarchal  blessings  to  the  Saints, 
and  Bleazard  Corbridge  was  accordingly  chosen  for  that 
office. 

It  was  decided  that  the  Saints  who  wished  to  emi- 
grate should  receive  recommends  from  the  Church  in 
Britain  to  the  Church  in  America,  and  that  no  persons 
should  receive  such  recommends  who  had  money,  unless 
they  assisted  the  poor  according  to  the  counsel  of  the 
Twelve. 

It  was  further  determined  that  a  monthly  periodical 
be  published,  to  be  known  as  The  Latter-day  Saints  Mil- 
lennial Star,  with  Parley  P.  Pratt  as  its  editor  ;  and  that 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  289 

a  committee  of  three,  namely,  Brigham  Young,  Parley 
P.  Pratt  and  John  Taylor  be  appointed  to  make  a  selec- 
tion of  hymns  for  the  use  of  the  Saints. 

The  conference  closed  on  the  i6th  of  April,  having 
been  in  session  three  days. 

The  time  had  now  come  for  the  Apostles  to  separ- 
ate, to  go  into  different  parts  of  the  Lord's  vineyard.  It 
was  thought  wisdom  for  Elder  Heber  C.  Kimball  to  visit 
the  churches  which  he  had  built  up  while  in  England  on 
his  former  mission ;  for  Orson  Pratt  to  go  north  on  a 
mission  to  Scotland,  John  Taylor  to  continue  his  labors 
in  Liverpool,  Parley  P.  Pratt  to  proceed  to  Manchester 
to  begin  the  publication  of  the  Star,  George  A.  Smith 
to  go  into  the  Potteries,  and  Brigham  Young  and  Wil- 
lard  Richards  to  accompany  Elder  Woodruff  into  his 
field  of  labor.  These  arrangements  were  at  once  carried 
out  by  the  brethren,  and  the  work  spread  on  every  hand, 
with  redoubled  energy  and  multiplied  success. 


I '.i 


CHAPTER   XL. 

HEBER  VISITS  THE  BRANCHES  RAISED  UP  DURING  HIS  FORMER 
MISSION HIS  REPORT  OF  THEIR  CONDITION  AND  STAND- 
ING  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE  AT  MANCHESTER. 

PURSUANT  to  the  appointment  of  his  quorum  at  the 
conference,  Heber  visited  the  Saints  whom  he  had 
brought  into  the  Church  during  his  former  mission. 
Elder  Willard  Richards  accompanied  him,  pending  pre- 
parations for  his  mission  to  Herefordshire. 

They  first  visited  the  branch  in  Walkerfold,  the  home 
of  the  Rev.  John  Richards,  whose  daughter  Jennetta 
Willard  had  married,  in  fulfillment  of  Heber's  prediction. 
They  found  Sister  Richards  in  a  very  low  state  of  health, 
but  after  they  had  anointed  and  laid  hands  upon  her, 
according  to  the  ordinance  of  the  Church,  she  immedi- 
ately began  to  amend. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Richards,  who  was  feeling  very 
sorely  the  effects  of  the  preaching  of  Mormonism  in  his 
pastorate,  on  seeing  Elder  Kimball  in  his  house,  ordered 
him  to  leave.  Heber  meekly  complied,  much  to  the 
grief  of  Sister  Richards  and  her  aged  mother,  who  wept 
aloud  at  his  departure.  The  Walkerfold  branch,  though 
small,  had  suffered  more  persecution  in  proportion  to  its 
numbers  than  any  other,  but  its  members,  with  scarcely 
an  exception,  had  remained  steadfast  in  the  faith. 

Heber's  report  continues: 

''From  thence  we  returned  to  Preston,  where  I  left 
Brother  Richards  to  prepare  for  his  mission  to  Hereford- 
shire, and  proceeded  from  thence  to  Dauber's  Lane  and 
Eggleston.  We  found  there  two  branches  rejoicing  in 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  2QI 

the  Lord.  After  a  short  visit  with  them,  I  returned  to 
Preston ;  and  after  two  days  I  started  on  a  visit  to  the 
north.  I  went  alone,  by  way  of  Walkerfold,  on  my  way 
to  Clithero,  where  I  held  meetings  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
administered  the  sacrament  to  nearly  two  hundred  Saints. 
It  was  a  time  of  refreshing  to  them  and  to  myself,  as  I 
had  not  seen  them  for  more  than  two  years.  It  had  been 
said  there,  as  in  other  places,  that  I  would  never  return 
to  them  again ;  but  they  now  saw  me  again,  and  knew 
that  myself  and  many  of  my  fellow  laborers  had  come ; 
and  that  our  message  and  our  zeal  were  the  same  as 
formerly,  and  therefore  I  was  received  with  greater  joy 
than  ever.  I  stayed  at  Elder  T.  Smith's,  where  on  Mon- 
day I  was  joined  by  Elder  Fielding  from  Preston. 

"  On  Wednesday  we  went  to  Chatburn  and  held 
meeting  in  the  evening.  There  was  great  joy  in  the 
place.  The  next  day  we  went  to  Downham  and  held 
meeting  that  evening  and  many  came  to  hear.  We  bore 
testimony  to  the  Gospel,  and  of  the  work  of  the  Lord  in 
these  last  days.  The  people  were  very  attentive.  When 
we  had  closed,  a  certain  man  wished  to  ask  a  few  ques- 
tions ;  he  appeared  much  agitated ;  in  fact  we  were 
reminded  of  the  prediction  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  that 
'men  would  anger  and  tremble  because  of  the  truth.' 
He  demanded  some  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel, 
or  message,  of  which  we  testified ;  but  would  not  tell  us 
what  evidence  would  satisfy  him,  so  we  could  only  repeat 
our  testimony  to  him,  and  let  him  go,  with  no  other  evi- 
dence than  what  ourselves  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
others  had  believed  and  were  satisfied  with.  The  Saints 
had  a  time  of  rejoicing.  On  Saturday  we  returned  to 
Chatburn  and  held  meeting,  after  which  three  persons 
were  baptized  and  added  to  the  Church.  On  the  Sab- 
bath the  meeting  was  held  in  a  large  barn,  no  house 


2Q2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

being  sufficiently  large  to  convene  the  people.  There 
were  many  to  hear,  who  were  very  attentive.  We 
ordained  two  Priests.  In  the  evening  four  others  were 
baptized.  Some  who  had  left  the  society,  wished  they 
had  been  faithful,  and  some  of  them  returned  by  humble 
repentance  and  being  re-baptized.  There  appears  to  be 
something  peculiar  in  the  people  of  this  place ;  others 
had  tried  in  vain  to  enlist  them  into  their  folds ;  but  on 
hearing  the  first  preaching  of  the  fullness  of  the  Gospel 
they  were  overwhelmed  in  tears  of  repentance,  and  more 
than  twenty  were  immediately  baptized.  It  is  a  small 
village,  but  the  number  of  members  soon  increased  to 
about  ninety.  They  have  mostly  stood  fast.  We  have 
never  received  anything  like  an  insult  all  the  time  we 
visited  the  place,  and  we  feel  bound  to  bless  them. 

"On  Monday  we  returned  to  Clithero ;  after  meet- 
ing five  more  were  baptized.  On  Tuesday  evening  two 
were  baptized  in  Waddington.  Since  then  we  have  heard 
that  eight  more  have  been  baptized,  and  others  ready. 

"The  next  day  we  started  for  Ribchester,  calling  at 
Walkerfold  on  our  way,  where  we  found  Sister  Richards 
in  good  health.  We  reached  Ribchester  on  Friday,  and 
held  meeting  in  the  evening ;  the  Saints  were  comforted. 
The  next  day  we  returned  to  Preston.  I  consider  that  I 
have  never  seen  the  Saints  in  better  spirits.  They  say 
it  seems  like  old  times ;  they  can  receive  their  patriarchal 
blessings  under  the  hand  of  Brother  Mellin,  as  he  is 
ordained  to  the  office  of  an  Evangelist.  Some  speak  in 
tongues  and  prophesy,  and  others  have  visions,  etc.,  as 
was  foretold  by  the  Prophet  Joel,  concerning  the  last 
days.  We  can  truly  say  the  Lord  has  begun  to  restore 
all  things,  as  spoken  by  the  prophets. 

"After  this  we  went  to  Longton,  and  held  meeting, 
and  the  next  day  started  for  Southport,  many  of  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  293 

brethren  accompanying  us  as  far  as  the  river  Astlam. 
There  was  no  bridge,  and  to  save  us  the  trouble  of  going 
round,  a  brother  carried  us  over  on  his  shoulders.  We 
held  one  meeting  in  Southport,  and  one  in  Churchtown. 
At  Southport  there  was  a  sister  sick  and  not  expected  to 
live.  She  was  healed  by  administering  the  ordinance, 
and  next  day  she  went  with  us  two  miles  on  foot.  We 
ordained  one  Elder  and  one  Teacher,  and  on  our  way 
back  preached  to  the  Saints  in  Longton,  exhorting  them 
to  have  their  lamps  trimmed  and  burning,  ready  to  go 
forth  to  meet  the  Bridegroom.  We  then  returned  to 
Preston.  On  Saturday  we  met  the  officers  in  council, 
and  on  the  Sabbath  met  with  the  Church  as  usual. 

"On  Monday  evening  a  number  of  the  Saints  met 
at  Brother  T.  Moon's,  in  Penwortham,  to  receive  their 
patriarchal  blessings.  We  were  with  them,  and  gave 
them  such  instruction  as  was  necessary. 

"  Wednesday,  I  accompanied  Elder  Clayton  to  Man- 
chester; found  Elders  Young,  P.  P.  Pratt  and  J.  Taylor 
there;  tarried  there  with  them  till  Saturday  the  3Oth, 
when  Elders  Young,  Taylor  and  myself  took  the  train 
for  Liverpool ;  met  with  the  Church  there  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  had  a  good  time,  the  Saints  rejoiced,  and  others 
believed. 

"A  number  of  the  Saints  had  taken  their  passage 
for  America  on  board  the  ship  Britannia.  We  spent 
some  time  with  them  for  several  days.  June  5th  we  took 
leave  of  them.  They  were  in  good  spirits,  expecting  to 
move  from  the  dock  at  2  p.  m.  We  blessed  them,  and 
commended  them  to  the  Lord.  I  then  took  leave  of 
Elders  Young  and  Taylor,  and  returned  by  train  to  Pres- 
ton. I  found  Brother  Fielding  and  the  Saints  rejoicing 
in  the  Lord.  At  this  time  I  can  truly  say  that  I  never 
felt  more  to  rejoice  than  I  have  done  in  my  late  visits  to 


294  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

the  churches.  The  Saints,  in  general,  as  they  have  been 
baptized  into  one  body,  are  partakers  of  one  spirit, 
whether  they  be  Jew  or  Gentile,  bond  or  free.  I  also 
take  this  opportunity  to  say,  that  I  have  lately  received 
a  letter  from  my  wife,  giving  us  good  tidings  from 
America.  The  work  is  moving  steadily,  but  not  slowly 
through  that  land,  bearing  on  its  way  through  the  states 
and  cities  of  that  vast  continent.  The  Saints  are  getting 
over  their  pains  and  sufferings,  at  least  in  a  great  measure, 
and  are  enjoying  health.  I  would  say  to  my  brethren  in 
the  ministry  that  their  families  are  well,  and  I  feel  to 
congratulate  them  on  the  hope  and  glorious  prospect  of 
one  day  not  far  remote  when  we  shall  rest  from  our 
labors  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  evident  our  labor  is 
not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  In  almost  every  branch  I  have 
visited  the  numbers  are  increasing.  The  stone  is  actually 
growing  into  a  mountain,  and  we  know  that  it  must  soon 
fill  the  whole  earth.  May  the  Lord  hasten  the  time. 
Amen." 

Heber  rejoined  his  quorum  at  Manchester,  where  a 
general  conference  convened  on  the  sixth  of  July.  The 
meetings  were  held  in  "Carpenter's  Hall,"  a  building 
almost  as  famous  in  the  history  of  the  British  Mission  as 
the  celebrated  "Cock  Pit"  in  Preston. 

The  Apostles  in  the  mission  were  all  present  except- 
ing Orson  Pratt,  who  was  in  Edinburgh,  unable  to  attend 
on  account  of  the  great  distance,  and  his  arduous  labors 
in  opening  the  Scottish  Mission.  Parley  P.  Pratt  was 
chosen  to  preside. 

The  new  hymn-book  was  introduced  and  received 
the  unanimous  approbation  of  the  meeting.  A  number 
of  brethren  were  ordained  to  the  ministry  and  then  Presi- 
dent Young  called  upon  those  officers  whose  circum- 
stances would  permit  them  to  devote  themselves  entirely 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  295 

to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  who  would  volunteer 
to  do  so,  to  stand  up,  when  the  following  names  were 
taken:  B.  Young,  H.  C.  Kimball,  John  Taylor,  Wilford 
Woodruff,  Willard  Richards,  G.  A.  Smith,  Wm.  Clayton, 
Reuben  Hedlock,  H.  Clark,  Theodore  Turley,  Joseph 
Fielding,  Thomas  Richardson,  Amos  Fielding,  John 
Parkinson,  John  Wytch,  John  Needham,  H.  Royle,  John 
Blezard,  D.  Wilding,  Charles  Price,  Joseph  Knowles, 
William  Kay,  Samuel  Heath,  Wm.  Parr,  R.  McBride  and 
James  Morgan. 

President  Fielding  and  his  counselors  were  relieved 
of  the  charge  of  presiding  over  the  mission,  and  several 
Elders  were  appointed  to  various  fields  of  labor  in  Eng- 
land, Scotland  and  Ireland. 

President  Young  gave  administrative  directions  to 
the  Elders  previous  to  their  separation.  He  then  blessed 
the  congregation  and  the  conference  adjourned. 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

FOUNDING    THE    LONDON    CONFERENCE APOSTLES    KIMBALL, 

WOODRUFF    AND  SMITH  CHOSEN  FOR  THE    WORK SEEK- 
ING FOR  A    MAN  WITH  THE    SPIRIT  OF    GOD THE  FIRST 

CONVERT THE    ELDERS    HOLD    OPEN-AIR    MEETINGS    IN 

TABERNACLE  SQUARE. 

THE  next  notable  movement  determined  on  by  the 
Apostles  was  the  founding  of  the  London  Confer- 
ence. The  men  chosen  for  this  work  were  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  Wilford  Woodruff  and  George  A.  Smith. 
Leaving  Manchester  on  the  4th  of  August,  Heber  joined 
his  companions  in  Herefordshire,  whence  the  three  pro- 
ceeded on  to  London,  preaching  and  baptizing  by  the 
way. 

They  reached  their  destination  about  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  i8th,  and  were  kindly  received  by  a 
Mrs.  Allgood,  of  No.  19,  King  Street,  Borough,  who 
gave  them  needed  refreshments  and  directed  them  to 
lodgings  in  the  neighborhood.  Two  days  later  they 
reported  to  the  Millennial  Star  as  follows : 

"We  are  well  and  in  good  spirits,  and  are  going  to 
see  the  people  in  different  parts,  and  see  what  we  can  do 
in  this  small  world ;  for  London  looks  like  a  small  world. 
Give  us  your  prayers  and  direct  your  letters  as  above." 

It  was  well  ordered  that  three  such  characters  as 
these,  with  their  indomitable  will  power  and  persever- 
ance, added  to  child-like  faith  and  humility,  were  sent  to 
break  Gospel  ground  in  the  British  Metropolis.  The 
task  was  no  easy  one.  London,  with  all  its  churches 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  297 

and  cathedrals,  its  high-priced  ministers  and  princely 
churchmen,  its  Bibles,  missions,  schools,  and  evan- 
gelical agencies  of  every  description,  was  the  devil's 
stronghold,  nevertheless ;  and  the  prospect  might  have 
dismayed,  with  its  hardships,  spirits  less  valiant,  souls 
less  faithful,  than  those  selected  for  the  ordeal. 

For  days  the  Apostles  wandered  through  the  streets 
of  the  great  city,  viewing  its  wonderful  sights,  visiting  its 
places  of  interest  and  historic  note,  and  all  the  while 
looking  for  an  opportunity  to  deliver  their  message,  and 
for  souls  to  receive  their  testimony.  Among  other  places 
they  went  to  "Zion's  Chapel"  and  heard  the  Reverend 
Robert  Aitken,  the  same  great  preacher  from  whom 
Heber,  on  his  former  mission,  had  won  so  many 
disciples  in  Preston.  They  were  profoundly  impressed 
with  his  eloquence  and  the  sublime  truths  he  uttered, 
but  to  them  his  efforts  were  those  of  one  who  was 
''building  without  the  foundation."  They  had  previously 
heard  an  Aitkenite  preacher  at  Union  Chapel,  Waterloo 
Road,  and  had  also  called  on  the  Reverend  J.  E.  Smith, 
of  Lincoln's-Inn-Fields,  their  object  being  to  find  an 
opening  for  their  ministry. 

Still  following  very  much  the  example  of  Heber's 
first  mission  to  England,  the  three  Elders  next  attended 
a  meeting  of  the  Temperance  Society  in  Temperance 
Hall,  St.  George's  Row,  near  the  Elephant  Castle. 
Here  Elder  George  A.  Smith  was  given  the  privilege 
of  making  a  short  speech.  It  was  the  first  public  effort 
of  a  Mormon  Elder  in  London,  though  it  was  more  in 
the  nature  of  a  temperance  testimony  than  the  introduc- 
tion of  Mormonism  to  the  metropolis.  Subsequently 
the  brethren  addressed  another  meeting  at  the  same 
place  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  and  succeeded  in 
engaging  the  hall  for  preaching  purposes,  though  they 


298  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

were  not  permitted  to  occupy  it  immediately.  They 
gave  out  an  appointment  to  preach  the  Gospel  there  on 
the  7th  of  September. 

One  day,  as  they  were  strolling  through  the  streets, 
"to  see  if  they  could  find  a  man  with  the  Spirit  of  God," 
Heber  accosted  an  amiable  looking  stranger  and  asked 
him  if  he  was  a  preacher.  He  replied  that  he  was,  and 
informed  the  brethren  that  he  had  been  in  America,  and 
had  come  to  London  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  South 
Australia  ;  but  had  suffered  much  from  sickness  in  his 
family,  having  just  buried  one  child,  while  another  was 
then  lying  at  the  point  of  death. 

''Your  child  shall  live,"  said  Heber  C.  Kimball. 

The  stranger  then  gave  them  some  information  in 
regard  to  places  for  preaching,  and  they  parted  from 
him.  On  the  same  day  they  called  at  his  house ;  he  was 
not  at  home,  but  his  child  was  better. 

The  next  day  the  servants  of  the  Lord  went  again 
over  the  city.  This  time  they  found  the  object  of  their 
search  ;  "a  man  in  whom  was  the  Spirit."  His  name  was 
Corner.  He  lived  at  No.  52  Ironmonger  Row,  St. 
Luke's  Parish,  near  the  Church.  He  and  his  household 
received  the  testimony  of  the  Elders  and  opened  their 
doors  for  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel. 

This,  however,  was  not  enough  ;  though  the  brethren 
praised  God  for  this  manifestation  of  His  favor.  They 
longed  to  reach  the  ears  of  the  multitude,  and  declare  to 
them  the  message  that  "burned  like  fire  in  their  bones." 
At  the  expiration  of  twelve  days,  finding  no  immediate 
prospect  for  an  indoor  opening  of  the  kind  they  were  in 
quest  of,  they  determined  to  go  into  the  streets  and  lift 
up  their  voices. 

It  was  Sunday  morning,  August  3Oth,  1840.  Wend- 
ing their  way  through  the  crowded  streets  and  winding 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  299 

thoroughfares,  in  search  of  some  public  place  where 
they  knew  the  common  people  were  wont  to  assemble 
on  the  Sabbath,  to  hear  all  sorts  of  harangues  from  all 
sorts  of  speakers,  the  three  Apostles,  after  walking  three 
miles,  stopped  in  Tabernacle  Square,  "Old  Street."  A 
promiscuous  assembly  had  gathered  there — men  of  all 
creeds  and  opinions — and  an  "open-air"  meeting  was  in 
progress.  It  was  an  Aitkenite  preacher  who  was  address- 
ing them.  Mixing  with  the  multitude,  the  Elders 
listened  respectfully  to  what  he  was  saying,  and 
gradually  edged  their  way  towards  the  spot  where  he 
was  standing. 

When  the  Aitkenite  minister  had  concluded  his 
discourse  a  Presbyterian  preacher  took  his  place  and  was 
about  to  begin. 

"Sir!"  exclaimed  a  voice  in  the  crowd,  addressing 
the  preacher.  All  eyes  were  turned  in  the  direction  of 
the  sound.  A  man  stepped  forward.  It  was  Heber  C. 
Kimball.  "Sir,"  he  said,  "There  is  a  preacher  from 
America  present,  who  would  like  to  speak  to  the  assem- 
bly when  you  have  got  through  your  service." 

The  Presbyterian,  not  to  be  outdone  in  courtesy, 
and  perhaps  proud  of  the  honor  of  introducing  an 
American  preacher  to  a  British  public,  addressing  the 
people,  said : 

"  I  am  informed  that  there  is  a  minister  from  Amer- 
ica present.  I  propose  that  he  shall  speak  first." 

The  proposition  was  readily  accepted,  and  the  peo- 
ple drew  near,  alive  with  curiosity  ,at  the  novelty  of 
hearing  a  preacher  from  America. 

Apostle  George  A  Smith  was  the  one  selected  for 
the  occasion.  He  mounted  the  chair  resigned  by  the 
Presbyterian,  and  addressed  the  audience  for  about 
twenty  minutes. 


3OO  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Next  came  the  Presbyterian,  and  at  the  close  of  his 
remarks  Heber  C.  Kimball  again  advanced. 

"Will  there  be  any  objection  to  our  preaching  here 
at  3  o'clock"  ?  he  inquired. 

"No;  not  at  all,"  answered  the  Presbyterian. 
"What  denomination  do  you  belong  to"? 

"To  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,"  Heber  replied. 

"Oh,  I  have  heard  of  them,"  exclaimed  the  Presby- 
terian quickly,  his  countenance  and  whole  manner  chang- 
ing. "They  are  a  bad  people;  they  have  done  much 
hurt;  they  divide  churches;  we  don't  want  to  hear  you." 

He  then  mounted  the  chair  again  and  said  to  the 
people  : 

"I  have  just  heard  that  the  last  man  who  spoke 
belongs  to  the  Latter-day  Saints."  And  then  he  began 
to  rail  against  the  Apostles  and  their  faith. 

After  he  had  thus  vented  himself,  Elder  Kimball 
mildly  inquired: 

"Will  you  let  me  step  into  the  chair  to  give  out  an 
appointment  for  a  3  o'clock  meeting?" 

But  the  minister  angrily  refused,  whereupon  Heber 
raised  his  voice  and  informed  the  people  that  some 
American  preachers  would  preach  there  at  3  o'clock. 

A  vast  congregation  assembled  at  the  appointed 
hour  to  hear  them,  the  conduct  of  the  Presbyterian  and 
the  excitement  of  the  morning  having  helped  to  increase 
it  materially. 

Elder  Wilford  Woodruff  was  the  first  preacher. 
After  singing  and  prayer,  he  read  from  the  first  chapter 
of  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  the  8th  and  Qth  verses; 

"But  though  we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven,  preach 
any  other  Gospel  unto  you  than  that  which  we  have 
preached  unto  you,  let  him  be  accursed. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  301 

"As  we  said  before,  so  say  I  now  again,  if  any  man 
preach  any  other  Gospel  unto  you  than  that  ye  have 
received,  let  him  be  accursed." 

A  direct  thrust  at  apostate  Christendom,  with  its 
multitudinous  variety  of  "other  gospels,"  all  differing 
from  each  other  and  from  the  great  original. 

Brother  Woodruff  did  not  fail  that  day  to  hold  them 
up  a  glass  wherein  they  might  see  the  "inmost  parts"  of 
Paul's  dread  meaning,  made  applicable  in  words  of  tell- 
ing force  to  the  Christian  denominations  of  that  great  city. 

Then  came  Heber  C.  Kimball  with  his  sledge-ham- 
mer blows  of  testimony,  driving  home  the  truth  of  the 
Apostle's  words,  as  with  a  mallet  of  mighty  power.  He 
told  them  of  the  great  apostasy  that  had  taken  place 
since  the  days  of  Paul,  and  of  the  restoration  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  latter  days,  closing  with  an  earnest  testi- 
mony to  the  divine  mission  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  great 
Prophet  whom  God  had  raised  up  in  the  land  of  America. 

The  people  gave  good  attention  and  seemed  much 
interested  in  what  they  had  heard. 

After  the  meeting  Mr.  Corner,  the  person  already 
noticed,  invited  the  three  Apostles  home  to  his  house ;  so, 
withdrawing  from  the  crowd,  they  went  to  52  Iron- 
monger Row,  St  Luke's  Parish. 

But  Heber  was  not  yet  satisfied.  The  inward  mon- 
itor which  he  knew  never  erred  told  him  that  his  day's 
labor  was  not  accomplished.  Scarce  knowing  why, 
but  surrendering  himself  to  the  dictates  of  the  Spirit,  he 
retraced  his  steps  and  wended  his  way  alone  back  to 
Tabernacle  Square,  leaving  Elders  Woodruff  and  Smith 
at  "Father  Corner's,"  conversing  on  the  things  of  the 
Kingdom. 

The  crowd  had  not  yet  dispersed  from  the  Square, 
but  stood  in  groups  here  and  there,  discussing  eagerly 


3O2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

the  events  of  the  day,  and  the  strange  things  told  them  by 
the  American  preachers.  As  Heber  approached  he  was 
immediately  recognized — and,  indeed,  his  was  a  presence, 
once  seen,  not  easily  to  be  forgotten — and  the  surprised 
and  pleased  multitude,  thronging  round  him,  besought 
him  to  speak  to  them  again. 

He  willingly  complied  and  addressed  them  long  and 
earnestly.  More  powerful  than  ever  was  his  testi- 
mony. He  was  alone,  but  the  Spirit  was  with  him,  and 
with  the  Spirit  Heber  C.  Kimball  was  a  host.  Breath- 
lessly they  listened,  and  at  the  close  several  men  whom 
he  had  never  seen  until  that  afternoon,  came  forward 
and  invited  him  home  to  their  houses. 

The  ice  was  broken.  His  testimony  had  prevailed. 
The  good  seed  sown  by  the  wayside  had  taken  root,  as 
it  were,  in  the  very  crevices  of  the  stony  pavements  of 
the  world's  metropolis. 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

FATHER  CORNER  BAPTIZED THE    APOSTLES    VISIT    THE    REV- 
EREND     ROBERT      AITKEN HEBER       ATTACKED       WITH 

CHOLERA THE    WORK  IN  OTHER  PARTS SECOND  CON- 
FERENCE     AT      MANCHESTER BRIGHAM      ACCOMPANIES 

HEBER  TO  LONDON CONVERSION    OF    THE    REV.    JAMES 

ALBION. 

THE  first  baptism  in  London  took  place  on  Monday 
the  3  ist  of  August,  the  day  following"  the  events  related 
in  the  last  chapter.  It  was  "  Father  Corner"  who  offered 
himself  as  a  convert  to  the  Elders,  and  it  was  Heber  C. 
Kimball  who  baptized  him.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed at  the  Public  Baths,  after  which  the  new  member 
was  confirmed  under  the  hands  of  the  three  Apostles  at 
his  own  house. 

Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  the  London  Con- 
ference. 

Leaving  Elder  Woodruff  for  several  days,  Heber 
and  George  A.  went  to  Deptford,  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  branch  there.  While  they  were  gone, 
Brother  Woodruff  made  the  second  convert — a  woman. 
He  also  obtained  from  the  directors  of  a  Methodist 
chapel  permission  to  preach  in  a  school-house  at  Bowl 
Court,  Shoreditch. 

Sunday  morning,  September  6th,  the  Apostles  filled 
the  appointment  made  by  Elder  Woodruff,  who  preached 
first,  followed  by  Elders  Kimball  and  Smith.  These 
were  the  first  gospel  sermons  delivered  by  the  Elders  in 
a  meeting  house  in  London,  though  they  had  each 


304  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

addressed  an   audience  briefly,  at  Temperance  Hall,  on 
the  subject  of  temperance. 

In  the  afternoon  they  preached  again  out  of  doors 
in  Tabernacle  square;  and  in  the  evening  returned  to 
preach  in  the  Methodist  school  house.  When  they  arrived, 
however,  they  discovered  that  a  plan  had  been  formed 
by  several  preachers  of  that  denomination  for  one  of 
their  own  number  to  occupy  the  evening,  fearing  lest 
some  should  receive  the  testimony  of  these  "dangerous 
men"  from  America.  Already  had  the  Methodists  of 
London  taken  the  alarm. 

Discovering  this  ministerial  intrigue  against  them 
the  three  Apostles  went  their  way,  but  that  evening  they 
found  four  persons  who  received  their  testimony  and 
offered  themselves  for  baptism. 

On  the  Monday  following,  Heber  and  George  A. 
visited  the  celebrated  Robert  Aitken.  He  received  them 
courteously,  and  acknowledged  that  their  doctrines  were 
scriptural,  but  said  he  was  fearful  of  deception.  At  this 
period  he  was  in  a  very  disturbed  state  of  mind  concern- 
ing Mormonism,  for  the  mission  which  the  Apostles 
brought  from  America  seemed  so  much  like  a  surprise- 
fulfillment  to  him  of  the  glowing  sermons  of  his  own 
ministry.  Probably  Mormonism  troubled  Robert  Aitken 
more  than  it  did  any  other  man  in  England,  and  it  is  not 
a  little  singular  that  soon  afterwards  he  returned  to  the 
Orthodox  Established  Church  from  which  he  had 
dissented,  and  became  again  one  of  its  ministers. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  they  visited  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Aitken  the  Elders  opened  their  course  of  sermons  in 
Temperance  Hall,  St.  George's  Road,  but  they  had  no 
audience  worthy  the  occasion.  About  thirty  only  were  said 
to  be  present;  but  Apostle  Woodruff  preached  to  them 
for  over  an  hour,  and  then  Heber  followed.  At  the  close 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  305 

they  paid  '  'seven  and  sixpence"  for  the  hall  for  the  even- 
ing— a  large  sum  from  the  pockets  of  these  Evangelists 
at  that  time,  yet  they  trusted  in  the  Lord  for  future 
results. 

Thus  having  made  an  opening  in  London,  Wilford 
Woodruff  returned  a  while  to  superintend  his  former 
field  of  labor;  but  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  George  A. 
Smith  remained  to  hold  the  situation. 

On  the  i Qth  of  September  Heber  was  stricken 
down  with  cholera.  The  attack  was  so  severe  that  it 
seemed  as  if  he  could  not  live  till  morning.  He  rallied, 
however,  and  by  the  blessing  of  God  was  raised  up  to 
continue  his  labors.  The  next  morning,  being  the 
Sabbath,  he  went  into  the  water  and  baptized  four 
persons. 

Meanwhile  the  work  in  other  parts  had  been 
making  rapid  headway.  After  much  labor  it  had  at 
length  been  firmly  established  in  Scotland,  under  the 
presidency  of  Orson  Pratt;  and  had  been  carried  into 
Ireland  and  the  Isle  of  Man  by  Apostle  John  Taylor. 
Several  of  the  native  Elders  had  also  penetrated  Wales. 
President  Brigham  Young,  in  the  absence  of  Parley  P. 
Pratt,  who  had  gone  to  America  to  bring  his  family  to 
England,  had  been  busy  publishing  the  Millennial  Star, 
the  hymn  book  and  Book  of  Mormon,  in  which  labors  he 
was  assisted  by  Willard  Richards.  The  emigration  of 
the  Saints  to  America  had  also  commenced.  Thus  was 
the  good  work  rolling  on. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  1840,  was  held  the  second 
general  conference  at  Manchester.  There  were  present 
of  the  Twelve,  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
Willarcl  Richards,  Orson  Pratt,  George  A.  Smith,  and 
Wilford  Woodruff.  Orson  Pratt  presided. 

It  was  found  that  twenty-seven  conferences  had  been 

20 


306  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

organized  at  this  period,  besides  many  branches  not  then 
incorporated.  The  representation  showed  an  increase 
since  the  last  general  conference  of  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  members ;  twenty-five  Elders ; 
ninety-six  Priests  ;  fifteen  Teachers,  and  thirteen  Dea- 
cons. Several  places  of  special  interest  may  be  noted 
as  represented  :  London,  by  Heber  C.  Kimball ;  mem- 
bers, eleven,  Priests,  two ;  Birmingham,  four  members ; 
Glasgow,  by  Elder  Mulliner,  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
three  members,  eight  Elders,  seven  Priests,  five  teachers 
and  three  Deacons ;  Edinburgh,  by  Orson  Pratt,  forty- 
three  members  and  two  Priests  ;  Manchester,  by  Brigham 
Young,  members,  three  hundred  and  sixty-four ;  Elders, 
four;  Priests,  twenty-seven;  Teachers,  six;  and  one  Dea- 
con ;  Wilford  Woodruff's  Conferences,  members,  one 
thousand  and  seven ;  Elders,  nineteen ;  Priests,  seventy- 
eight;  Teachers,  fifteen,  and  one  Deacon.  Altogether 
three  thousand,  six  hundred  and  twenty-six  members 
of  the  Church  were  represented,  more  than  double  the 
number  reported  at  the  Conference  six  months  before. 

After  this  Conference  Elders  Woodruff  and  Smith 
returned  to  London,  while  Heber  remained  for  a  time 
with  President  Young  in  Manchester,  waiting  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the  metropolis ;  the  latter  having  resolved 
to  visit  London  and  assist  his  co-laborers  in  the  arduous 
work  of  building  up  that  important  conference. 

The  two  Apostles  set  out  upon  their  journey  on  the 
25th  of  November,  1840.  On  their  way  they  stopped 
at  the  Potteries  in  Staffordshire,  where  they  met  Elder 
George  A.  Smith,  who  was  paying  a  visit  to  his  former 
field  of  labor,  having  left  Brother  Woodruff  in  London. 
They  also  went  to  Birmingham,  where  Elder  Lorenzo 
Snow  was  then  laboring.  On  the  3oth  they  took  train 
for  London,  and  arrived  there  the  same  evening. 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  307 

They  found  Brother  Woodruff  "well  and  in  good 
spirits,"  but  with  a  tale  to  tell  of  his  experience  since  he 
saw  them  last,  "whose  lightest  word"  was  well  calcu- 
lated to  "harrow  up  the  soul." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Heber  C.  Kimball  and 
his  confreres,  who  opened  the  British  Mission  in  1837, 
had  a  terrible  encounter  with  evil  spirits  on  the  day  of 
the  first  baptisms  in  Preston.  A  similar  ordeal  had  been 
experienced  by  Apostle  Woodruff  on  the  night  of  the 
first  Sabbath  after  his  return  from  Manchester. 

Himself  and  Elder  Smith  had  held  a  sacrament 
meeting  that  day  at  Father  Corner's,  with  a  few  Saints 
who  had  gathered  there,  during  which  "the  Spirit  bore 
testimony  that  there  would  be  a  great  work  done  in 
London." 

Satan,  it  seems,  was  also  aware  of  this  fact,  and  it 
displeased  him  mightily. 

That  night,  while  lying  in  his  bed,  meditating  upon 
the  mission  in  that  city  and  determining  to  warn  its 
inhabitants,  and  "overcome  the  powers  of  darkness,"  a 
personage  appeared  to  the  Apostle  Wilford  whom  he 
took  to  be  the  "Prince  of  darkness."  "He  made  war 
with  me,"  says  the  Apostle,  "and  attempted  to  take  my 
life.  As  he  was  about  to  overcome  me  I  prayed  to  the 
Father  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  help.  I  then  had 
power  over  him,  and  he  left  me,  though  much  wounded. 
Afterwards  three  persons,  dressed  in  white,  came  to  me 
and  administered  to  me,  when  I  was  immediately  healed 
and  delivered  of  all  my  troubles." 

Such,  in  brief,  was  the  thrilling  tale  told  by  Apostle 
Woodruff  to  his  fellow  servants  in  Christ,  on  their  arrival 
in  the  British  capital. 

The  next  evening,  December  ist,  President  Young 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  London  at  Barnett's  Acad- 


308  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

emy,  57  King's  Square,  Goswell  Road.  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball  followed  him.  The  President  remained  about  ten 
days  in  London,  and  then  returned  to  Manchester. 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  written  about  this  time,  Heber 
gives  somewhat  of  a  detailed  account  of  the  President's 
visit  to  the  metropolis,  and  other  events  that  were  hap- 
pening in  different  parts  of  the  mission : 

LONDON,  December  3rd,  1840. 
MY  DEAR  VILATE: — 

''I  feel  to  rejoice  to  hear  from  you  once  more. 
Elders  Young  and  Woodruff  and  myself  have  been 
traveling  all  day  to  see  some  of  the  sights  of  this  great 
city.  We  visited  the  Tower  of  London.  We  entered 
into  one  room  150  feet  by  33  ;  there,  arranged  in  regular 
and  chronological  order,  were  no  less  in  number  than 
twenty-two  equestrian  figures,  representing  many  of  the 
most  celebrated  kings  of  England,  accompanied  by  their 
favorite  lords  and  men  of  rank,  all  of  them,  together  with 
their  horses,  in  the  armor  of  the  respective  periods 
when  they  flourished, — many,  indeed,  in  the  identical 
suits  in  which  they  appeared  while  living,  There  were 
500,000  stands  of  arms,  and  cannon,  taken  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  in  their  conflicts  with  other  nations ; 
and  all  the  jewelry  and  crowns  of  the  kings  and  queens. 
I  wish  you  could  see  them,  for  we  can  see  better  than  we 
can  write  about  them.  We  went  to  see  the  Thames 
tunnel ;  from  thence  returned  home  to  our  lodgings. 
Mrs.  Morgan  presented  me  with  a  letter  from  you, 
dated  Oct.  the  nth.  *  *  *  I  felt  to  rejoice  at  hear- 
ing from  you,  that  you  are  still  alive  and  in  good  spirits, 
and  to  hear  of  the  good  times  that  you  have  in  Nauvoo, 
and  the  good  tidings  that  President  Smith  is  laying  before 
the  Saints ;  I  should  like  to  be  there  if  it  was  right  in  the 
sight  of  God.  But  I  feel  no  liberty  as  yet  to  come  home, 
but  I  think  I  shall  soon.  I  want  to  see  you  and  my  little 
children,  and  I  want  to  see  Brother  Joseph,  Brother 
Rigdon  and  Brother  Hyrum,  and  all  of  my  old  friends 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  309 

that  have  gained  my  affections,  that  have  stood  through 
thick  and  thin,  through  evil  reports  as  well  as  good ;  they 
are  the  ones  that  I  wish  to  live  with  on  earth,  and  I 
believe  I  shall ;  for  I  have  no  desire  for  anything  else  but 
to  press  forward  for  the  celestial  wrorld.  I  don't  expect 
to  find  much  rest  this  side  of  that,  but  I  feel  to  prepare 
for  the  worst  and  hope  for  the  better.  I  have  strong 
sensations  of  what  is  coming  on  the  earth.  I  shall  not 
be  disappointed  if  I  get  home  about  the  time  to  have  a 
little  sport  with  my  brethren.  As  you  say,  a  hint  to  the 
wise  is  sufficient.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  some  of  our 
brethren  have  denied  the  faith,  that  is,  some  of  them  that 
went  from  this  country,  but  it  is  just  what  I  expected, 
and  told  them  so ;  they  thought  they  were  going  to  be 
fostered  by  the  Church  in  that  place ;  they  might  have 
known  better,  for  they  knew  the  Saints  had  been  driven, 
and  robbed  of  all  their  goods,  and  they  could  not  expect 
help  from  them,  but  rather  the  reverse.  I  don't  know 
but  they  think  it  will  hinder  the  work  of  the  Lord  if  they 
turn  away;  they  are  mistaken  there,  for  it  will  advance 
the  work  just  as  much  for  them  to  turn  away  as  it  will 
for  them  to  remain ;  so  it  is  all  the  same  with  the  Lord. 
The  Savior  says  we  cannot  do  anything  against  the  truth, 
but  for  it.  I  have  got  so  I  feel  perfectly  easy  about  these 
things,  for  they  are  the  work  of  God  and  not  the  work  of 
man.  I  know  no  other  way  than  to  be  subject  to  the 
powers  that  be.  I  pray  my  Father  will  give  me  this  dis- 
position, for  I  wish  to  be  in  the  hand  of  God  as  the  clay 
in  the  hands  of  the  potter.  The  Lord  has  His  own  way 
of  doing  His  own  work,  and  we  have  got  to  submit  to 
Him  instead  of  His  submitting  to  us.  I  feel  well  in  mind 
—never  felt  better  in  my  day — but  I  am  afflicted  in  body 
with  bad  colds.  The  weather  is  cold  and  wet,  and  the 
smoke  is  so  bad  some  of  the  time  that  they  have  to  light 
up  their  lamps  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  it  is  so  dark.  It 
is  very  unhealthy  for  me,  and  it  is  so  for  my  brethren. 
Times  grow  worse  and  worse  in  this  country ;  the  people 
are  driven  almost  to  desperation  ;  the  times  appear  sad 
and  gloomy.  I  had  some  conversation  with  a  Frenchman 
the  other  evening ;  he  says  it  is  hard  times  in  France ;  all 


3IO  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.      KIMBALL. 

lands  seem  to  share   in   the  same   fate;    distress   on  all 
sides. 

"  I  will  begin  where  I  left  off  at  Liverpool  on  the  3  ist. 
I  stated  to  you  that  Elder  Young  and  myself  were  going 
to  Wales.  This  was  on  Saturday, — the  distance  .of 
twenty  miles,  seven  miles  by  steamboat,  and  the  rest  by 
coach.  Got  there  in  the  evening — at  the  town  of  Harder. 
On  the  Sabbath  we  preached  twice ;  had  as  many  as 
could  hear  us ;  it  appeared  that  everyone  believed  our 
testimony.  We  were  called  to  pray  for  the  sick.  One 
young  man  lay  sick  with  the  fever,  and  a  Methodist 
preacher  received  a  blessing,  and  one  woman.  They 
were  healed,  and  began  to  proclaim  it  aloud  to  be  the 
power  of  God.  Sunday  was  the  ist  day  of  November; 
on  the  2nd  we  started  back  to  Manchester  by  the  way  of 
Lynn;  there  were  some  baptized  the  day  we  left.  I 
heard  there  were  about  thirty  others  ready  to  go  forward 
the  first  opportunity.  The  six  Methodist  preachers  that 
sent  for  us  are  going  to  be  baptized  if  they  have  not 
been  already.  There  has  another  work  broke  out  in 
Wales,  fourteen  miles  from  the  place  where  we  went. 
The  last  news  we  had  from  them,  there  were  fifty-two 
baptized.  We  received  a  line  from  Elder  Pratt  yester- 
day, stating  that  there  were  about  ninety  baptized  in 
those  two  places.  After  we  got  to  Manchester  on  the 
5th,  I  took  coach  for  Clithero  in  Yorkshire,  thirty  miles 
distant.  I  preached  four  times  in  Clithero,  once  in  Wad- 
dington,  once  in  Chatburn,  once  in  Downham.  I 
remained  with  them  six  days,  and  baptized  several  while 
there.  In  a  few  weeks'  time  there  have  been  about  forty 
baptized  ;  these  are  some  of  them  from  the  old  churches  ; 
the  excitement  seems  to  be  as  great  as  it  was  when  I 
first  went  into  that  place.  There  were  scores  that 
believed  my  testimony  that  had  formerly  been  much 
opposed  to  this  work.  The  opposition  is  great  in  that 
part.  They  collected  in  mobs  to  break  up  my  meetings, 
but  did  not  carry  their  designs  into  execution.  The  devil 
is  mad,  and  the  work  spreads  in  all  parts.  They  are 
publishing  pamphlets  in  all  directions,  and  the  papers 
are  full  of  all  kinds  of  lies.  If  things  continue  as  they 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  31  I 

have  for  a  short  time  past,  we  shall  be  driven  from  this 
country.  In  the  places  that  I  have  mentioned  the  spirit 
has  been  poured  out  upon  them ;  they  speak  in  tongues, 
interpret,  prophesy,  dream  dreams,  see  visions,  and  there 
seems  to  be  great  humility.  There  seems  to  be  a  revival 
through  this  land.  ****** 

"On  the  25th  of  November  Elder  Young  and  myself 
started  for  London.  I  felt  quite  feeble  when  we  started. 
I  will  continue  my  epistle  from  the  5th  of  December. 
The  day  we  started  we  went  twenty  miles  to  Mackles- 
field,  and  stayed  all  night.  There  is  a  church  of  nearly 
one  hundred  members  there.  It  is  a  silk  manufacturing 
town  of  about  60,000  inhabitants.  The  next  morning 
we  went  to  the  potteries ;  stayed  two  nights ;  preached 
to  the  Saints;  the  world's  people  came  in  throngs;  they 
acted  more  like  devils  than  like  men.  There  are  many 
coming  into  the  Church  in  this  place.  The  gifts  are 
among  the  Saints  ;  this  makes  the  devil  mad.  Many  are 
turned  out  of  their  work  because  of  their  religion.  Many 
go  hungry  and  look  pale  for  the  want  of  a  little  food  to 
eat.  When  I  have  a  penny  in  my  pocket  it  goes  freely. 
I  have  taken  pains  to  ask  them ;  some  tell  me  they  have 
not  half  enough  to  eat — and  have  a  little  child  to  the 
breast  at  the  same  time.  These  things  are  hard.  I  will 
stop,  for  I  cannot  paint  the  scenes  that  are  before  me 
daily ;  these  things  grow  worse  and  worse.  From  there 
we  went  to  Birmingham  ;  found  Elder  Snow;  on  Sunday 
evening  heard  him  preach  for  the  first  time.  After  he 
got  through  Elder  Young  and  myself  bore  testimony. 
The  Saints  felt  to  rejoice,  and  some  believed.  There  are 
300,000  inhabitants  in  that  city  and  only  eighteen  Saints. 

*         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         * 

"Sunday,  the  6th.  I  have  been  to  St.  Paul's  Church 
this  forenoon  with  the  brethren.  It  was  so  dark  they  had 
to  light  up  the  church  with  gas.  A  considerable  part  of 
this  letter  I  have  written  in  the  day  time,  and  have  had  to 
write  by  a  candle.  It  is  very  disagreeable  to  me,  and 
makes  me  feel  bad  and  sick.  Not  one  of  us  feels  well. 
Brother  Smith's  lungs  are  very  bad;  he  will  not  be  able 


312  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

to  stay  in  this  country.     He  is  at  the  potteries,  where  he 
will  remain  until  he  goes  home. 

"  December  i2th.  You  will  think  I  have  been  lazy 
since  I  commenced  this.  Elder  Young  left  here  yester- 
day for  Herefordshire;  it  was  thought  best  for  me  to 
remain  here  for  a  short  time  with  Elder  Woodruff.  The 
prospect  seems  to  be  better  than  it  has  been.  There 
was  one  man  baptized  this  week,  and  several  more  are 
believing.  I  shall  stay  here  about  three  weeks  if  all 
things  go  well.  Now,  my  dear  Vilate,  be  of  good  cheer, 
for  all  things  will  go  well ;  and  pray  much,  and  hearken 
to  counsel  from  those  that  are  over  you.  *  *  *  My 
love  to  all  of  the  Saints  in  Christ.  Remember  me  to  my 
little  children,  and  kiss  them  for  me.  Oh,  how  I  want  to 
see  you  all ! 

I  am  your  husband  forever, 

H.  C.  KIMBALL. 

About  this  time  the  Reverend  James  Albion,  an  inde- 
pendent minister,  with  his  wife  and  daughter  became  favor- 
ably impressed  with  Mormonism.  He  offered  his  chapel 
to  Elders  Kimball  and  Woodruff  for  them  to  preach  in, 
and  told  his  congregation  that  he  was  a  Latter-day  Saint, 
and  should  be  baptized,  and  that  they  were  no  longer  to 
consider  him  their  minister  unless  they  followed  his 
example  and  joined  the  Saints.  This  made  a  great  stir 
among  his  committee  and  congregation. 

On  the  evening  of  the  closing  Sunday  of  the  year, 
the  Elders  preached  by  appointment  of  Mr.  Albion  in 
his  chapel,  to  the  largest  congregation  they  had 
addressed  in  London.  There  were  present  priests  and 
people  of  many  denominations.  While  Elder  Woodruff 
was  speaking  a  Wesleyan  minister  arose  and  opposed 
him,  "which  had  a  good  effect,  for  the  congregation  see- 
ing the  Spirit  he  was  of,  turned  against  him,  and  the 
committee  refused  him  permission  to  speak  there  any 
more."  Thus  ended  the  Apostolic  labors  of  the  year. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

OPENING    OF    THE    YEAR     1841     IN    LONDON ENCOURAGING 

SUCCESS    OF    THE    ELDERS HEBER  C.   KIMBALL  BLESSES 

THE     QUEEN     OF    ENGLAND THE    WOOLWICH    BRANCH 

ORGANIZED ORGANIZATION    OF    THE    LONDON  CONFER- 
ENCE  THE  PROSPECT   OF  WAR  BETWEEN  GREAT  BRITAIN 

AND  THE  UNITED  STATES  HASTENS  THE  RETURN  OF    THE 
APOSTLES  TO  AMERICA. 

THE  new  year  opened  auspiciously  for  the  work  of 
God  in  the  great  city  of  London.  On  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary, the  Church  there  numbered  twenty-one  souls,  and 
ere  another  day  had  dawned  two  more  were  added  unto 
the  fold  of  Christ. 

As  usual  the  converts  were  mostly  of  the  poor  and 
lowly  classes,  willing  indeed  to  share  their  last  crust  with 
the  Lord's  servants,  who  had  sacrificed  so  much  to  bring 
the  Gospel  to  their  doors,  but  unable,  in  their  extreme 
poverty,  to  render  much  assistance  in  a  pecuniary  way. 
Everything  was  dear  in  London.  While  exercising  the 
most  rigid  economy  the  Elders  found  it  impossible  to 
subsist  upon  much  less  than  a  pound  per  week,  individ- 
ually. They  had  hired  lodgings  at  No  40,  Ironmonger 
Row,  near  Father  Corner's,  and  were  keeping  up  a  reg- 
ular meeting  house, —  the  Academy  in  Goswell  Road. 
Never  before  were  they  so  straitened  financially. 

But  conversions  and  baptisms  were  becoming  more 
frequent,  and  the  clouds  of  discouragement  which  had 
so  long  hung  over  them,  were  beginning  to  clear  away. 

Apostle  Woodruff  baptized  the  daughter  of  the 
Reverend  James  Albion,  who  had  been  so  friendly  to 


314  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

the  Elders,  and  soon  afterwards  Heber  C.  Kimball  bap- 
tized the  minister  himself. 

Heber  visited  Woolwich,  where  he  preached  once 
and  converted  four  persons,  who  immediately  offered 
themselves  for  baptism.  They  wandered  up  and  down 
the  Thames  until  9  o'clock  at  night,  seeking  for  a  suit- 
able place  to  administer  the  ordinance,  but  were  unsuc- 
cessful owing  to  the  mud  and  ice  on  the  banks  of  the 
river.  Next  day  Heber  brought  his  converts  to  London 
and  baptized  them  at  the  public  baths  in  Tabernacle 
Square.  Dr.  William  Copeland  was  also  baptized  that 
day. 

Concerning  this  time,  Heber  writes  : 

"The  waters  have  begun  to  be  troubled,  and  I  pray 
that  they  may  continue  until  the  Lord  gathers  out  His 
people  from  this  city.  I  can  say  I  never  felt  a  greater 
desire  for  a  place  than  I  have  for  London  ;  it  is  the  metrop- 
olis of  the  world  and  the  depot  of  wickedness.  All 
manner  of  debauchery  that  can  be  thought  of  is  prac- 
ticed here. 

"But  the  ice  is  broken  in  London,  and  the  Gospel 
has  got  such  a  hold  that  the  devil  can  not  root  it  out." 

Satan,  however,  continued  to  do  all  that  he  could  in 
opposition  to  the  Elders,  by  stirring  up  the  wrath  of 
sectarian  priests  and  bigoted  people  against  them. 

It  seems  that  prior  to  starting  on  this  mission, 
Heber  had  been  promised  by  the  Prophet  that  he 
should  see  the  Queen  of  England.  The  fulfillment 
occurred  as  follows:  On  the  26th  of  January  Victoria 
opened  the  British  Parliament.  Apostles  Kimball  and 
Woodruff,  with  Dr.  Copeland  and  several  other  friends, 
started  out  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  the  royal 
pageant.  Arriving  at  St.  James'  Park  at  10  a.  m.,  they 
beheld  an  immense  concourse  of  people,  extending  in  two 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  315 

unbroken  lines  from  Buckingham  Palace  to  the  House  of 
Lords.  It  was  estimated  that  from  three  to  four  hundred 
thousand  people  were  assembled.  Through  the  courtesy 
of  one  of  the  Queen's  life-guards — and  no  small  favor 
was  it  on  that  day — Heber  and  his  party  succeeded  in 
getting  a  place  in  the  front  line,  past  which  the  grand 
procession  was  to  move.  The  royal  cortege  passed 
within  ten  feet  of  where  they  stood,  so  that  they  obtained 
a  fair  view  of  Her  Majesty,  both  going  to  and  returning 
from  the  Houses  of  Parliament.  The  Queen  sat  in  a 
gorgeous  state  carriage,  drawn  by  eight  cream  colored 
horses,  richly  caparisoned.  At  her  left  hand  sat  Albert, 
the  Prince  Consort.  Following  were  six  carriages,  each 
drawn  by  six  horses,  containing  members  of  the  royal 
family,  lords  and  nobles. 

Says  Heber:  "We  saw  her,  as  the  Prophet  Joseph 
had  told  us.  She  made  a  low  bow  to  us,  and  we 
returned  the  compliment.  She  looked  pleasant;  small 
of  stature  ;  with  blue  eyes ;  an  innocent  looking  woman. 
Prince  Albert  is  a  fine  looking  man.  All  things  went  on 
pleasantly.  No  accidents." 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  Heber  C.  Kimball 
blessed  Queen  Victoria,  with  the  tradition  of  which  so 
many  of  the  Saints  are  familiar.  Passing  so  close  to 
them,  and  seemingly  bowing  directly  and  personally  to 
the  Apostles,  Heber  returned  the  royal  salute  with  a 
hearty  "God  bless  you,"  addressed  to  the  Queen  as  she 
passed.  Her  Majesty  of  course  is  not  aware  of  the  fact 
that  on  that  day  she  received  an  Apostle's  benediction, 
but  no  one  who  has  noted  in  faith  the  prophetic  potency 
of  Heber  C.  Kimball's  words  uttered  on  less  occasions, 
will  doubt  the  efficacy  of  such  a  blessing,  even  on  the 
head  of  a  queen  of  England. 

Baptisms  continued  in  London,  and  the  Elders  now 


316  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

had  good  congregations.     Heber  organized  a  branch  in 
Woolwich  of  those  whom  he  had  baptized  there. 

On  the  8th  of  February  a  package  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  was  received,  when  Elders  Kimball  and  Wood- 
ruff went  to  Stationers'  Hall  and  secured  the  copyright 
of  the  book  in  the  name  of  Joseph  Smith,  Jun. 

At  this  time  there  was  a  strong  probability  of  war 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  and  the 
Elders  began  to  think  of  returning  to  their  native  land. 
President  Young  wrote  to  Heber  and  Wilford  to  prepare 
for  an  early  departure. 

The  cause  of  the  threatened  war  was  the  imprison- 
ment of  Mr.  McLeod,  a  British  officer,  in  Lockport  jail, 
New  York,  which  state  was  trying  him  for  arson  ;  and  the 
Americans  seemed  resolved  on  executing  him.  The 
case  at  issue  was  the  burning  of  the  Caroline  on  Lake 
Erie,  in  1837,  during  the  troubles  in  Canada.  Great 
Britain  maintained  that  he  was  acting  under  British 
orders  and  demanded  his  release. 

On  the  nth  of  February,  Elder  Lorenzo  Snow 
arrived  in  London  to  take  charge  of  the  Church  there 
after  the  departure  of  Elders  Kimball  and  Woodruff. 
Heber  and  Lorenzo  together  visited  Woolwich,  which 
was  fast  developing  into  an  important  branch,  and  on 
their  return  the  first  London  conference  was  held  in  Bar- 
nett's  Academy. 

It  was  Sunday,  February  i4th,  1841.  On  this 
day  the  London  Conference  was  organized.  There  were 
present  at  the  organization  Elders  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
Wilford  Woodruff,  Lorenzo  Snow,  William  Pitt  and  four 
Priests.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Elder  Kim- 
ball, and  after  singing  and  prayer  the  President  called 
upon  the  official  members  to  represent  their  respective 
branches.  They  were  as  follows  : 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  317 

The  Church  at  Ipswich,  represented  by  Elder  Pitt, 
consisting  of  twelve  members,  one  Elder,  one  Priest  and 
one  Teacher. 

The  Church  at  Bedford,  represented  by  Robert  Wil- 
liams, Priest,  consistfng  of  forty-two  members  and  one 
Priest;  seven  had  moved  and  two  died. 

The  Church  at  Woolwich,  represented  by  John  Grif- 
fith, Priest,  consisting  of  six  members,  one  Priest. 

The  Church  in  London,  represented  by  Elder  Kim- 
ball,  consisting  of  forty-six  members,  one  Elder,  two 
Priests ;  generally  in  good  standing ;  excellent  prospect 
of  a  continued  increase. 

James  Albion  was  ordained  an  Elder ;  Thomas 
Barnes  a  Teacher;  R.  Williams  an  Elder  to  oversee  the 
Church  at  Bedford  ;  Richard  Bates  a  Priest  in  the  Church 
at  Woolwich ;  John  Sheffield  a  Teacher  in  the  branch  at 
Bedford  and  A.  Painter  a  Teacher  at  Woolwich. 

The  above  named  persons  were  ordained  under  the 
hands  of  Elders  Kimball,  Woodruff  and  Snow. 

It  was  then  moved  by  Elder  Kimball  and  seconded 
by  Elder  Woodruff,  that  Elder  Lorenzo  Snow  be  appointed 
President  of  the  London  Conference,  and  also  to  take 
the  superintendency  of  the  Church  in  London. 

Much  valuable  instruction  was  given  by  Apostles 
Kimball  and  Woodruff  in  relation  to  the  duties  of  the 
official  members,  and  the  conference  then  adjourned 
to  Sunday,  the  i6th  of  May. 

Immediately  after  the  conference  Heber  started  for 
Manchester  to  join  President  Young.  He  had  just 
received  a  letter  from  his  wife,  Vilate,  saying  that  the 
Prophet  Joseph  was  very  anxious  for  the  return  of  the 
Twelve,  as  both  countries  were  then  in  the  greatest 
excitement  over  the  prospect  of  war.  As  for  the  Apostles 
themselves,  they  could  not  but  realize  that  their  situation 


318  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

as  American  missionaries  was  very  precarious,  and  that 
their  immigration  of  that  year  was  in  imminent  danger 
of  being  interrupted  by  the  British  government. 


CHAPTER     XLIV. 

HEBER    ORGANIZES    THE     BIRMINGHAM     CONFERENCE MEET- 
ING    OF     THE     APOSTLES     IN     MANCHESTER      PRIOR      TO 

RETURNING     TO     AMERICA ORSON     HYDE     PRESENT    ON 

HIS    WAY  TO  PALESTINE THE  EXTENSIVE  WORK  OF  ONE 

YEAR. 

ON  his  way  to  Manchester  Heber  tarried  a  few 
days  at  Bedford,  strengthening  the  Saints  in  that 
place,  and  adding  new  members  to  the  Church.  He 
also  visited  Birmingham  and  there  organized  a  confer- 
ence. One  hundred  and  seven  members  were  repre- 
sented, and  nine  persons  ordained  to  the  ministry. 
Elder  Alfred  Cordon  was  appointed  president.  The 
Birmingham  Conference  became  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  important  conferences  in  the  mission. 

On  the  6th  day  of  April,  1841,  the  Apostles  met  as 
a  quorum  in  Manchester,  for  the  transaction  of  business 
prior  to  their  departure  for  America.  The  meetings, 
which  were  open  to  the  Saints,  were  held  in  Carpen- 
ter's Hall.  The  members  of  the  quorum  present  were 
Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson  Hyde,  Parley 
P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt,  Wilford  Woodruff,  John  Taylor, 
Willard  Richards  and  George  A.  Smith.  Orson  Hyde 
had  lately  arrived  from  America  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  319 

whither  he  had  been  sent  on  a  mission  to  the  house  of 
Judah. 

The  representation  of  the  churches  and  conferences 
throughout  the  mission  being  called  for,  it  was  found 
that  thirty-three  conferences  and  branches  were  repre- 
sented, aggregating  a  membership  of  five  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fourteen,  with  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  Elders,  three  hundred  and  three  Priests,  one 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  teachers,  and  sixty-eight  Deacons. 
This  enumeration  did  not  include  some  fifty  members 
not  connected  with  any  branch,  and  nearly  eight  hun- 
dred Saints  who  had  emigrated  to  America  during  the  year. 

Several  ordinations  were  performed,  and  the  follow- 
ing business  was  transacted : 

"Resolved,  That  Manchester,  Stockport,  Dukin- 
field,  Oldham,  Bolton  and  all  the  neighboring  branches 
be  organized  into  one  conference  to  be  called  the  Man- 
chester Conference. 

"That  the  church  in  Brampton,  Alston,  and  Carlisle 
be  included  in  one  conference ; 

"That  the  churches  of  Liverpool,  Isle  of  Man, 
Wales,  viz.,  Overton,  Harding  and  Elsmere,  be  organ- 
ized into  one  conference,  to  be  called  the  Liverpool  Con- 
ference ; 

"That  the  Macclesfield  Conference  include  Maccles- 
field,  Northwich,  Middlewich,  and  Lostock ; 

"That  the  Edinburgh  Conference  include  Edin- 
burgh and  vicinity,  and  that  the  conference  of  Glasgow 
include  Glasgow,  Paisley,  Bridge  of  Weir,  Johnston,  and 
Thorny  Bank. 

"Resolved,  that  G.  D.  Watt  preside  over  the 
Edinburgh  Conference  ;  that  Thomas  Ward  preside  over 
the  Clithero  Conference ;  that  Lorenzo  Snow  preside 
over  the  London  Conference;  that  J.  Gaily  preside  over 


32O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

the  Macclesfield  Conference ;  that  A.  Cordon  preside 
over  the  Staffordshire  Conference;  that  J.  Riley  be 
ordained  a  High  Priest  and  preside  over  the  Birming- 
ham Conference;  that  J.  McAuley  preside  over  the 
Glasgow  Conference ;  that  Thomas  Richardson  preside 
over  the  Gadfield  Elm  Conference;  that  Wm.  Kay 
preside  over  the  Froomes  Hill  Conference  ;  that  Levi 
Richards  have  the  superintendence  of  the  Garway  Con- 
ference; that  P.  Melling,  Patriarch,  continue  to  preside 
over  the  Preston  Conference,  and  that  J.  Sanders  pre- 
side over  the  Brampton  Conference." 

The  above  resolutions  were  adopted  unanimously. 
Elder  J.  Albertson  was  then  given  a  patriarchal  blessing, 
under  the  hands  of  Father  Melling,  after  which  he  was 
himself  ordained  a  Patriarch  by  the  Apostles. 

During  the  meeting  a  very  richly  ornamented  cake, 
a  present  from  New  York,  from  a  Sister  Adams  to  the 
Twelve,  was  exhibited  and  then  divided  among  the  con- 
gregation. While  the  distribution  was  going  on,  several 
appropriate  hymns  were  sung,  and  a  powerful  and 
general  feeling  of  delight  pervaded  the  meeting.  Under 
the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  Elder  Parley  P.  Pratt 
composed  the  following  lines  and  handed  them  to  the 
clerk  who  read  them  to  the  congregation : 

"When  in  far  distant  regions 

As  strangers  we  roam, 
Far  away  from  our  country, 

Our  friends  and  our  home  ; 
When  sinking  in  sorrow, 

Fresh  courage  we'll  take, 
As  we  think  on  our  friends, 

And  remember  the  cake. ' ' 

Several  discourses  were  then  delivered,  and  this 
memorable  and  happy  meeting — the  first  and  last  at 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  321 

which  so  many  members  of  the  early  Twelve  met 
together  in  a  foreign  land,  came  to  a  close. 

The  Apostles  next  issued  their  first  general  epistle 
to  the  Saints  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  Wales  and 
the  Isle  of  Man.  It  was  a  well-worded,  even  eloquent 
document,  full  of  wise  counsel  and  timely  instruction. 
Having  now  set  in  order  the  affairs  of  the  Church 
throughout  the  mission,  the  Apostles,  all  save  Orson 
Hyde,  who  was  bound  for  Palestine,  and  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
who  was  left  to  preside  over  the  British  mission,  pre- 
pared to  return  to  America. 

A  great  work  had  been  accomplished  by  these  faith- 
ful and  devoted  men  of  God,  during  the  past  year.  The 
mission  founded  by  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  his  brethren 
in  1837,  was  now  established  upon  a  broad  and  per- 
manent basis,  and  the  mighty  stream  of  Israel's  emigra- 
tion from  foreign  shores  set  in  motion. 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

THE  APOSTLES  SAIL  FOR  HOME ARRIVAL  AT  NEW  YORK 

HEBER'S  LETTER  TO  THE  " MILLENNIAL  STAR" — HAPPY 
MEETING  WITH  THE  PROPHET  AND  THE  SAINTS  AT  NAU- 

VOO LABORS   SPIRITUAL    AND   TEMPORAL HEBER'S 

PHRENOLOGICAL  CHART. 

ON  the  2Oth  day  of  April,  1841,  Brigham  Young, 
Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor,  Wilford 
Woodruff,  George  A.  Smith  and  Willard  Richards,  with  a 
company  of  Saints,  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  board  the 
ship  Rochester,  bound  for  New  York.  They  landed 
there  on  the  2Oth  of  May,  having  been  just  one  month 
upon  the  water,  and  remained  in  that  city  until  the  4th 
of  June. 

In  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Millennial  Star, 
Heber  thus  relates  what  followed: 

"On  the  4th  of  June  I  started  for  home,  in  company 
with  Elders  Young  and  Taylor.  Elder  O.  Pratt  remained 
in  New  York  to  republish  the  book  he  had  printed  in 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  giving  a  history  of  the  coming 
forth  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  of  which  he  intended 
to  publish  5,000  copies.  Elders  G.  A.  Smith  and  Had- 
lock  stayed  in  Pennsylvania,  not  having  the  means  of 
getting  home.  I  had  to  borrow  four  pounds  myself,  and 
the  Saints  in  New  York  gave  us  some  help.  May  the 
Lord  bless  them  fourfold. 

"We  went  by  way  of  Philadephia  to  Pittsburg,  the 
distance  being  four  hundred  miles  by  railway  and  canal. 
We  went  on  the  swift  line,  for  which  we  paid  fourteen 
dollars,  the  slow  line  carrying  for  nine  dollars.  After 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  323 

staying  four  days  at  Pittsburg,  we  set  sail  on  board  the 
steamboat  Cicero  on  the  i2th  of  June,  and  when  we  had 
proceeded  about  fifteen  miles  she  ran  on  a  sand  bank, 
where  we  were  detained  three  days ;  in  fact  the  boat  ran 
aground  several  times,  the  water  was  so  low.  We  were 
three  weeks  on  board  before  we  arrived  at  Nauvoo.  I 
never  experienced  warmer  weather  at  this  season  before, 
and  many  persons  are  dying  of  cholera  on  board  the 
steamboats  on  the  river.  I  would  advise  persons  coming 
by  way  of  the  rivers  to  start  earlier  in  the  spring.  It  will 
be  much  cheaper  for  the  Saints  to  come  by  way  of  New 
Orleans,  the  cost  of  which  is  about  five  pounds  ten  shil- 
lings, and  they  will  come  much  quicker  and  with  greater 
ease.  If  they  prefer  coming  by  way  of  New  York,  they 
will  do  well  to  go  from  thence  by  way  of  Chicago,  as  it 
will  be  both  cheaper  and  quicker  than  by  way  of  Phila- 
delphia. I  would  advise  the  Saints  to  come  in  the  cool 
part  of  the  season,  on  account  of  their  health. 

"We  landed  in  Nauvoo  on  the  ist  of  July,  and  when 
we  struck  the  dock  I  think  there  were  about  three  hun- 
dred Saints  there  to  meet  us,  and  a  greater  manifestation 
of  love  and  gladness  I  never  saw  before.  President  Smith 
was  the  first  one  that  caught  us  by  the  hand.  I  never  saw 
him  feel  better  in  my  life  than  he  does  at  this  time ;  this 
is  the  case  with  the  Saints  in  general.  When  we  got  in 
sight  of  Nauvoo  we  were  surprised  to  see  what  improve- 
ments had  been  made  since  we  left  home.  You  know 
there  were  not  more  than  thirty  buildings  in  the  city 
when  we  left  about  two  years  ago,  but  at  this  time  there 
are  twelve  hundred,  and  hundreds  of  others  in  progress 
which  will  be  finished  soon.  On  Friday  last  seventy 
Saints  came  to  Nauvoo,  led  by  Lorenzo  Barnes,  from 
Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  wagons,  living  in  tents 
by  the  way.  On  the  next  day  a  company  came  in  wagons 


324  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

from  Canada,  all  in  good  spirits ;  and  in  two  or  three 
days  after  they  all  obtained  places  to  live  in.  They  are 
coming  in  from  all  parts  of  this  vast  continent  daily  and 
hourly,  and  the  work  is  spreading  in  all  of  this  land,  and 
calls  for  preaching  in  all  parts.  You  will  recollect  that 
when  we  built  our  houses  in  the  woods  there  was  not  a 
house  within  half  a  mile  of  us.  Now  the  place,  wild  as 
it  was  at  that  time,  is  converted  into  a  thickly  populated 
village.  Our  old  friends  who  were  driven  from  Missouri 
are  my  neighbors  ;  for  instance,  the  Allreds,  Charles  Hub- 
bard,  Charles  Rich,  and  hundreds  of  others  that  I  could 
mention  that  you  know.  I  wish  you  were  here,  if  it  were 
right.  I  can  say  with  propriety,  as  to  the  knowledge  I 
have  of  things,  I  never  knew  the  Church  in  so  good  a 
state  as  at  the  present  time ;  they  feel  well  and  in  good 
spirits,  and  filled  with  love  and  kindness.  Most  of  our 
English  brethren  have  got  themselves  places  and  houses 
built  for  them,  and  others  building,  and  many  of  them 
say  they  never  felt  better  in  their  lives  and  have  no  desire 
to  return  to  their  native  land,  for  they  have  houses  and 
land  of  their  own,  what  they  never  before  were  in  pos- 
session of.  They  are  generally  enjoying  good  health  and 
spirits.  There  has  been  some  sickness  among  them  dur- 
ing their  long  journey,  and  a  few  deaths.  I  will  men- 
tion some  names.  Thomas  Smith  and  his  wife,  and  his 
daughter  Diana ;  she  died  the  day  I  got  home.  Brother 
Smith  and  his  wife  died  before  they  got  to  St.  Louis. 
They  were  from  Clithero,  Lancashire.  Brother  Henry 
Nightingale.  He  got  shot  through  his  thigh;  it  was  an 
accident.  He  survived  the  misfortune  only  two  weeks. 
His  wife  was  at  my  house  this  week.  He  died  about  the 
time  I  got  home.  He  was  from  Preston.  John  Steven- 
son, from  Longton ;  also  Sister  Wyche,  from  the  Pot- 
teries ;  William  Blacast's  wife,  from  Longton,  is  dead ;  also 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  325 

Brother  Rigby's  wife,  from  Clayton,  and  James  Carl- 
bridge,  from  Thornby.  The  sickness  is  generally  among 
the  new  comers. 

"  On  the  3rd  of  July  the  Nauvoo  Legion  was  called 
out  to  celebrate  our  independence.  There  was  judged 
to  be  about  8,000  people  present.  There  was  an  oration 
delivered  by  President  Rigdon  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
present.  We  had  a  heavenly  time ;  all  was  peace  and 
harmony  ;  there  was  no  drunkenness  on  that  day  as  I 
discovered ;  there  is  no  public  house  that  keeps  spirits, 
nor  grocery,  and  in  fact  none  except  in  case  of  sickness 
is  used  in  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  You  will  not  find  a  more 
temperate  people  than  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  this  or 
any  other  country. 

"I  never  saw  crops  look  better  than  they  do  in  this 
place  at  present.  The  wheat  is  in  general  cut,  and 
secured.  Provisions  are  cheaper;  flour  is  $2.25  a  hun- 
dred and  will  be  less  soon.  Corn  is  brought  into  the 
city  for  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel ;  bacon  from  seven  to 
eight  cents  per  pound ;  butter  ten  cents ;  other  things  in 
proportion.  The  whole  country  for  many  miles  is  culti- 
vated with  corn,  wheat,  potatoes,  and  all  kinds  of  produce  ; 
it  looks  as  though  the  blessing  of  God  rested  upon  the 
crops  in  this  region,  and  it  is  noticed  by  the  inhabitants 
that  come  from  other  parts,  for  the  crops  are  better  here 
than  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  or  counties  around 
this  place.  Most  of  the  Saints  have  plenty  growing  to 
last  them  for  a  year,  and  to  spare  ;  and  the  blessing  of 
God  rests  on  this  people,  and  1  know  for  one  that  God 
is  here,  and  that  to  bless  his  people,  and  the  devil  cannot 
hinder,  for  it  is  the  work  of  the  great  God,  and  it  must 
and  will  roll  forth. 

"On  the  4th  of  July,  being  the  Sabbath  day,  the 
Saints  came  together  to  the  amount  of  5,000  to  hear  us 


326  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

give  a  detail  of  our  mission  to  England.  Then  was  a 
time  of  rejoicing  I  assure  you.  Our  place  of  meeting 
was  in  a  grove  close  by  the  temple,  as  we  have  no  other 
place  at  present.  There  is  every  effort  made  to  complete 
the  house  of  the  Lord ;  they  devote  every  tenth  day  for 
that  purpose.  The  basement  story  is  nearly  finished, 
which  is  considered  to  be  half  of  the  stone  work.  It  is 
going  to  be  very  magnificent.  They  intend  to  have  the 
walls  finished  this  fall  if  possible.  Elders  G.  A.  Smith 
and  Hadlock  got  here  on  the  i4th,  both  well.  We  found 
our  families  well,  except  Sister  Taylor,  who  was  quite 
low.  She  has  now  recovered. 

''Elders  Young  and  Taylor  send  much  love  to  you 
all,  and  I  am  sure  all  would  if  they  knew  that  I  was 
writing  to  you.  Give  my  love  to  Elders  Snow,  Richards 
and  Adams.-  and  to  all  of  the  officers  and  members  in 
that  land.  Please  to  give  my  respects  to  Sister  Pratt 
and  to  Sister  Olive  and  to  all  your  families.  My  wife 
joins  with  me  in  love  to  you  both  and  to  Sister  Olive  and 
Mary  Ann,  and  may  the  Lord  bless  you  with  long  life 
and  good  days,  and  keep  you  safe  till  you  return  to  your 
own  country  with  your  own  family,  is  the  wish  and  prayer 
of  your  brother  in  Christ.  Elder  Orson  Pratt  arrived 
here  this  week ;  he  went  to  Sackett's  Harbor  ;  his  wife's 
sister  came  with  him,  He  and  his  family  are  well.  Your 
brother  William  is  well. 

"As  to  crops  that  are  growing  in  the  Iowa,  there  is 
thought  to  be  enough  to  supply  all  the  Saints  in  Nauvoo 
and  Iowa  for  one  year.  Such  sights  you  never  saw 
before.  There  is  a  greater  improvement  by  one  half 
than  there  was  in  Far  West  in  the  same  time.  Our 
enemies  begin  to  threaten  us,  for  you  know  they  cannot 
bear  to  see  us  prosper. 

"I  must  now  come  to   a   close.      There   are  five  of 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  327 

the  Twelve  got  home.  We  are  all  well  and  in  good 
spirits.  We  think  much  about  you  and  yours,  and  our 
brethren  and  sisters  in  that  land.  I  hope  we  shall  see 
them  all  soon,  and  hope  also  that  they  may  be  faithful, 
and  hearken  unto  counsel,  for  they  that  hearken  to 
counsel  will  be  wise,  and  their  lives  will  be  prolonged  on 
the  earth.  I  exhort  them  to  observe  these  things,  and  to 
be  subject  to  the  powers  that  be.  They  have  my  best 
wishes  for  their  welfare  both  temporal  and  spiritual. 
Now,  fare  you  well  a  little  season,  my  dear  brother  in 
Christ." 

Heber's  time  was  now  more  or  less  taken  up  with 
temporal  affairs.  The  work  of  God  was  growing  so 
rapidly  that  the  Prophet,  in  order  to  devote  more  of  his 
time  to  spiritual  concerns,  was  obliged  to  roll  some  of  the 
burden  of  the  public  business  from  his  own  shoulders 
upon  those  of  the  Twelve.  At  a  conference  held  on  the 
1 6th  of  August,  1841,  Joseph  remarked  "that  the  time  had 
come  when  the  Twelve  should  be  called  upon  to  stand 
in  their  place  next  the  First  Presidency,  and  attend  to 
the  settling  of  immigrants,  and  the  business  of  the 
Church  at  the  Stakes,  and  assist  to  bear  off  the  kingdom 
victorious  to  the  nations."  They  were  also  directed  to 
build  the  cities  which  Joseph  had  designed,  namely,  Nau- 
voo,  Zarahemla,  Warren,  Nashville  and  Ramus,  and  while 
attending  to  these  duties  in  person,  to  send  missionaries 
into  different  parts  to  preach  the  gospel. 

Brigham  and  Heber  also  served  in  a  semi-military 
capacity,  being  made  chaplains  in  the  Nauvoo  Legion 
soon  after  their  return  from  England. 

At  intervals,  while  engaged  in  the  new  labors 
assigned  them,  the  Twelve  continued  to  send  their  gen- 
eral epistles  to  the  churches  abroad. 

At  the  close  of  the  April  conference  of  1842,  Presi- 


325  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

dents  Young,  Kimball  and  others  of  the  Twelve  ordained 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  Elders,  the  largest  num- 
ber ordained  in  one  day  since  the  formation  of  the 
Church.  Thus,  in  labors  spiritual  and  temporal,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Prophet  of  God,  Heber  and  his 
brethren  continued  to  fulfill  their  sacred  mission. 

About  this  time  there  came  to  Nauvoo  a  celebrated 
phrenologist  of  the  period,  who  applied  to  the  Prophet 
for  the  privilege  of  examining  the  heads  of  himself  and 
several  of  his  chief  Apostles,  designing  to  publish  their 
charts.  Joseph,  Brigham,  Heber  and  Willard  were 
chosen  for  types,  and  their  charts  were  incorporated  in 
the  Prophet's  history.  Here  is  Heber's: 

Phrenological  Chart  of  Elder  Heber   C.  Kimball;  by  A. 
Crane,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Phrenology. 

PROPENSITIES. 

Amativeness. — 10,  large.  Extreme  susceptibility; 
passionately  fond  of  the  company  of  the  other  sex. 

Philoprogenitiveness. — 7,  full.  Interested  in  the 
happiness  of  children ;  fond  of  their  company. 

Inhabitiveness. — 4,  medium  or  small.  Somewhat 
indifferent  to  places  as  such ;  easily  changes  location. 

Adhesiveness. — 8,  f.  Solicitous  for  the  happiness  of 
friends,  and  ardent  attachments  to  the  other  sex. 

Combativeness. — 7,  f.  Great  powers  of  exertion 
and  sustaining  under  opposition  and  difficulties. 

Destructiveness. — 6,  m.  Ability  to  control  the  pas- 
sions, and  is  not  disposed  to  extreme  measures. 

Secretiveness. — 9,  1.  Great  propensity  and  ability 
to  conceal  feelings,  plans,  etc. 

Acquisitiveness. — 6,  m.  Freeness  to  spend  money; 
love  of  it  chiefly  for  its  uses  and  what  it  will  buy. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  329 

Alimentativeness. — 7,  f.  A  good  appetite,  but  not 
excessive ;  partiality  for  a  variety  of  rich,  hearty  dishes. 

Vitativeness. — 6,  m.  or  s.  Indifferent  to  life ;  views 
the  approach  of  death  without  fear. 

FEELINGS. 

Cautiousness. — 8,  f.  Provision  against  prospective 
dangers  and  ills,  without  hesitation  or  irresolution. 

Approbativeness. — 10,  1.  Ambition  for  distinction; 
sense  of  character  ;  sensibility  to  reproach,  fear  of  scan- 
dal. 

Self-esteem. — 9,  1.  High-mindedness,  independence, 
self-confidence,  dignity,  aspiration  for  greatness. 

Concentrativeness. — 7,  f.  Can  dwell  on  a  subject 
without  fatigue,  and  control  the  imagination. 

Benevolence. — 9,  1.  Kindness,  goodness,  tender- 
ness, sympathy. 

Veneration. — 8,  f.     Religion,  without  oreat  awe  or 

O  C5 

enthusiasm ;   reasonable  deference  to  superiority. 

Firmness. — 10,  1.  Stability  and  decision  of  charac- 
ter and  purpose. 

Conscientiousness. — 9,  1.  High  regard  for  duty, 
integrity,  moral  principle,  justice,  obligation,  truth,  etc. 

Hope. — 7,  f.  Reasonable  hopes,  a  fine  flow  of 
spirits ;  anticipation  of  what  is  to  be  realized. 

Marvelousness. — 7,  f.  Openness  to  conviction 
without  blind  credulity ;  tolerable  good  degree  of  faith. 

Imitation. — 10,  f.  A  disposition  and  respectable 
ability  to  imitate,  but  not  to  mimic,  or  to  act  out. 

Prepossession. — 7,  1.  or  f.  Attached  to  certain 
notions ;  not  disposed  to  change  them,  etc. 

Ideality. — 10,  1.  Lively  imagination  ;  fancy,  taste 
love  of  poetry,  elegance,  eloquence,  excellence,  etc. 


33O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

PERCEPTIVES. 

Admonition. — 7,  f.  or  m.  Desirous  to  know  what 
others  are  doing ;  ready  to  counsel,  and  give  hints  of  a 
fault  or  duty,  etc. 

Constructiveness. — 9,  1.  Great  mechanical  ingenu- 
ity, talent  and  skill. 

Tune. — 9,  v.  1.  or  1.  Great  musical  taste  and  talent ; 
conception  of  melody. 

Time. — 4,  s.  or  v.  s.  Forgetfulness  of  dates,  ages, 
appointments,  day  of  the  month,  etc. 

Locality. — n,  v,  1,  or  1.  Great  memory  of  places 
and  position. 

Eventuality. — 10,  1.  Retentive  memory  of  events 
and  particulars. 

Individuality. — 8,  f.  With  very  large  causality,  and 
comparison,  great  observation,  with  deep  thought,  etc. 

Form. — 8,  f.  Cognizance,  and  distinct  recollection 
of  shapes. 

Size. — 5,  m.  s.  or  v.  s.  Inaccurate  measurement  of 
magnitude,  distance,  etc. 

Weight. — 11,  v.  1.,  1.  or  f.  Knowledge  of  gravita- 
tion, momentum,  etc. 

Color. — 9,  f.  or  m.  Moderate  skill  in  judging  of 
colors,  comparing  and  arranging  them. 

Language. — 7,  f.  Freedom  of  expression,  without 
fluency  or  verbosity ;  no  great  loquacity. 

Order. — 9,  1.  Love  of  arrangement,  everything  in 
its  particular  place. 

Number. — 8,  f.  Respectable  aptness  in  arithmeti- 
cal calculations,  without  extraordinary  talent. 

REFLECTIVES. 

Mirthfulness. — 10,  1.  Wit,  fun,  mirth,  perception 
and  love  of  the  ludicrous. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  33! 

Causality. — 9,  1.  Ability  to  think  and  reason  clearly, 
and  perceive  the  relations  of  cause  and  effect. 

Comparison. — 10,  1.  A  discrimination;  power  of 
illustration  ;  ability  to  perceive  and  apply  analogies. 

This  chart  is  not  only  worth  preserving  as  a  curios- 
ity, but  it  is,  in  many  respects,  an  excellent  index  of 
Heber's  character  and  idiosyncrasies. 


CHAPTER    XLVI. 

REVELATION  OF    CELESTIAL    MARRIAGE SECRECY  THE    PRICE 

OF    SAFETY JOSEPH  TESTS    HEBER  AND    MAKES  HIM  HIS 

CONFIDANT LIOW  VI LATE    KIMBALL  WAS    CONVERTED 

HEBER    AND  VILATE    GIVE  THEIR    DAUGHTER  HELEN    TO 
THE  PROPHET  IN  CELESTIAL  MARRIAGE. 

A  STARTLING  innovation,  a  test  designed  to  try,  as 
never  before,  the  faith  and  integrity  of  God's  people  now 
came  upon  them.  Not  in  the  shape  of  fire  and  sword, 
nor  toilsome  pilgrimage,  nor  pestilence,  nor  wealth,  nor 
poverty.  Ah !  no ;  something  far  different  from  these, 
and  far  more  difficult  to  bear. 

A  grand  and  glorious  principle  had  been  revealed, 
and  for  years  had  slumbered  in  the  breast  of  God's 
Prophet,  awaiting  the  time  when,  with  safety  to  himself 
and  the  Church,  it  might  be  confided  to  the  sacred  keep- 
ing of  a  chosen  few.  That  time  had  now  come.  An 
angel  with  a  flaming  sword  descended  from  the  courts 
of  glory  and,  confronting  the  Prophet,  commanded  him 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  to  establish  the  principle  so 


332  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

long  concealed  from  the  knowledge  of  the  Saints  and  of 
the  world. 

That  principle  was  the  law  of  celestial  or  plural 
marriage ! 

Well  knew  the  youthful  Prophet  the  danger  of  his  task. 
Well  knew  he  the  peril  and  penalty  of  disobedience. 
Fearing  God,  not  man,  he  bowed  to  the  inevitable,  and 
laid  his  life — aye,  was  it  not  so  ? — upon  the  altar  of  duty 
and  devotion. 

Among  those  to  whom  Joseph  confided  this  great 
secret,  even  before  it  was  committed  to  writing,  was  his 
bosom  friend,  Heber  C.  Kimball.  Well  knowing  the 
integrity  of  his  heart,  so  many  times  tested  and  found 
true,  he  felt  that  he  ran  no  risk  in  opening  to  Heber's 
eyes  the  treasured  mysteries  of  his  mighty  soul. 

But  why  careful,  among  so  many  friends,  to  select 
only  a  few  as  the  recipients  of  such  a  favor?  Would 
not  the  Saints  have  died  to  a  man  in  defense  of  their 
Prophet — God's  seer  and  revelator?  Alas,  none  knew 
so  well  as  Joseph  the  frailty  of  man,  the  inherent  weak- 
ness and  wickedness  of  the  human  heart. 

"Many  men,"  said  he,  "will  say,  'I  will  never  for- 
sake you,  but  will  stand  by  you  at  all  times.'  But  the 
moment  you  teach  them  some  of  the  mysteries  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  that  are  retained  in  the  heavens,  and 
are  to  be  revealed  to  the  children  of  men  when  they  are 
prepared  for  them,  they  will  be  the  first  to  stone  you  and 
put  you  to  death. 

"  It  was  this  same  principle  that  crucified  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  will  cause  the  people  to  kill  the  Proph- 
ets in  this  generation." 

What!  would  even  the  Saints  have  so  done?  Did 
not  some  of  those  who  were  Saints  then,  so  do  ? 

Had  not  Joseph  said  many  times — are  not  men  now 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  333 

living  who  heard  him  say:  " Would  to  God,  brethren,  I 
could  tell  you  who  I  am !  Would  to  God  I  could  tell 
you  what  I  know !  But  you  would  call  it  blasphemy,  and 
there  are  men  upon  this  stand  who  would  want  to  take 
my  life." 

"If  the  Church,"  said  he,  "knew  all  the  command- 
ments, one  half  they  would  reject  through  prejudice  and 
ignorance." 

No  wonder,  then,  that  he  should  choose  his  con- 
fidants ;  for  their  sakes  no  less  than  his  own.  For  these 
also  are  Joseph's  words: 

"When  God  offers  a  blessing,  or  knowledge  to  a 
man,  and  he  refuses  to  receive  it,  he  will  be  damned." 

Revelation  is  ever  the  iconoclast  of  tradition ;  and 
such  is  the  bigotry  of  man,  his  natural  hatred  of  the  new 
and  strange,  as  opposed  to  his  personal  interests  or  pri- 
vate views,  that  the  very  lives  of  those  whose  mission  is 
to  introduce  and  establish  new  doctrines,  though  designed 
as  a  blessing  to  humanity,  are  ever  in  danger  from  those 
whose  traditions  would  thus  be  uprooted  and  destroyed. 

Joseph  was  not  a  coward ;  it  was  he  who  said  that 
a  coward  could  not  be  saved  in  the  kingdom  of  God ; 
but  neither  was  he  lacking  in  caution,  especially  when 
warned  of  the  Lord  of  the  necessity  for  its  exercise. 
Therefore,  was  he  now  revealing,  to  a  chosen  few,  whom 

o '  / 

God  had  prepared  to  receive   what  he  should  tell  them, 
one  of  the  grand    principles   of  the  everlasting   Gospel, 
'unlawful  to  be  uttered"  to  the  multitude,  yet  one  day  to 
be  thundered  from  the  house-tops  in  the  ears  of  all  liv- 
ing, with  many  other  mighty  truths  locked  in  the  treasure 
house  of  future  time,  of  which  eternity  still  holds  the  key. 
Before   he   would    trust    even    Heber   with   the  full 
secret,  however,   he   put  him   to  a  test   which  few  men 
would  have  been  able  to  bear. 


334  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

It  was  no  less  than  a  requirement  for  him  to  surren- 
der his  wife,  his  beloved  Vilate,  and  give  her  to  Joseph 
in  marriage  ! 

The  astounding  revelation  well-nigh  paralyzed  him. 
He  could  hardly  believe  he  had  heard  aright.  Yet  Joseph 
was  solemnly  in  earnest.  His  next  impulse  was  to  spurn 
the  proposition,  and  perhaps  at  that  terrible  moment  a 
vague  suspicion  of  the  Prophet's  motive  and  the  divinity  of 
the  revelation,  shot  like  a  poisoned  arrow  through  his  soul. 

But  only  for  a  moment,  if  at  all,  was  such  a  thought, 
such  a  suspicion  entertained.  He  knew  Joseph  too 
well,  as  a  man,  a  friend,  a  brother,  a  servant  of  God,  to 
doubt  his  truth  or  the  divine  origin  of  the  behest  he  had 
made.  No  ;  Joseph  was  God's  Prophet,  His  mouth-piece 
and  oracle,  and  so  long  as  he  was  so,  his  words  were  as 
the  words  of  the  Eternal  One  to  Heber  C.  Kimball.  His 
heart-strings  might  be  torn,  his  feelings  crucified  and 
sawn  asunder,  but  so  long  as  his  faith  in  God  and  the 
Priesthood  remained,  heaven  helping  him,  he  would  try 
and  do  as  he  was  told.  Such,  now,  was  his  superhuman 
resolve. 

Three  days  he  fasted  and  wept  and  prayed.  Then, 
with  a  broken  and  a  bleeding  heart,  but  with  soul  self- 
mastered  for  the  sacrifice,  he  led  his  darling  wife  to  the 
Prophet's  house  and  presented  her  to  Joseph. 

It  was  enough — the  heavens  accepted  the  sacrifice. 
The  will  for  the  deed  was  taken,  and  ''accounted  unto 
him  for  righteousness."  Joseph  wept  at  this  proof  of 
devotion,  and  embracing  Heber  told  him  that  was  all  that 
the  Lord  required.  He  had  proved  him,  as  a  child  of 
Abraham,  that  he  would  "do  the  works  of  Abraham," 
holding  back  nothing,  but  laying  all  upon  the  altar  for 
God's  glory. 

The   Prophet  joined   the  hands  of  the  heroic  and 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  335 

devoted  pair,  and  then  and  there,  by  virtue  of  the  seal- 
ing power  and  authority  of  the  Holy  Priesthood,  Heber 
and  Vilate  Kimball  were  made  husband  and  wife  for  all 
eternity. 

Heber's  crucial  test  was  in  part  over.  Vilate's  trial 
was  yet  to  come.  The  principle  of  celestial  marriage  was 
now  known  to  them,  so  far  as  their  own  eternal  covenant 
was  concerned,  but  the  doctrine  of  plurality  of  wives 
which  it  involves,  was  yet  to  be  revealed.  How  Heber 
and  Vilate  received  and  embraced  this  feature  of  the 
principle  is  thus  tenderly  told  by  their  daughter  Helen: 

"My  mother  often  told  me  that  she  could  not  doubt 
the  plural  order  of  marriage  was  of  God,  for  the  Lord 
had  revealed  it  to  her  in  answer  to  prayer. 

"In  Nauvoo,  shortly  after  his  return  from  England, 
my  father,  among  others  of  his  brethren,  was  taught  the 
plural  wife  doctrine,  and  was  told  by  Joseph,  the  Prophet, 
three  times,  to  go  and  take  a  certain  woman  as  his  wife ; 
but  not  till  he  commanded  him  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
did  he  obey.  At  the  same  time  Joseph  told  him  not  to 
divulge  this  secret,  not  even  to  my  mother,  for  fear  that 
she  would  not  receive  it ;  for  his  life  was  in  constant 
jeopardy,  not  only  from  outside  influences  and  enemies, 
who  were  seeking  some  plea  to  take  him  back  to  Mis- 
souri, but  from  false  brethren  who  had  crept  like  snakes 
into  his  bosom  and  then  betrayed  him. 

"My  father  realized  the  situation  fully,  and  the  love 
and  reverence  he  bore  for  the  Prophet  were  so  great  that 
he  would  sooner  have  laid  down  his  life  than  have 
betrayed  him.  This  was  one  of  the  greatest  tests  of  his 
faith  he  had  ever  experienced.  The  thought  of  deceiv- 
ing the  kind  and  faithful  wife  of  his  youth,  whom  he 
loved  with  all  his  heart,  and  who  with  him  had  borne  so 
patiently  their  separations,  and  all  the  trials  and  sacrifices 


336  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

they  had  been  called  to  endure,  was  more  than  he  felt 
able  to  bear. 

"He  realized  not  only  the  addition  of  trouble  and 
perplexity  that  such  a  step  must  bring  upon  him,  but  his 
sorrow  and  misery  were  increased  by  the  thought  of  my 
mother  hearing  of  it  from  some  other  source,  which 
would  no  doubt  separate  them,  and  he  shrank  from  the 
thought  of  such  a  thing,  or  of  causing  her  any  unhappi- 
ness.  Finally  he  was  so  tried  that  he  went  to  Joseph 
and  told  him  how  he  felt — that  he  was  fearful  if  he  took 
such  a  step  he  could  not  stand,  but  would  be  overcome. 
The  Prophet,  full  of  sympathy  for  him,  went  and  inquired 
of  the  Lord;  His  answer  was,  'Tell  him  to  go  and  do  as 
he  has  been  commanded,  and  if  I  see  that  there  is  any 
danger  of  his  apostatizing,  I  will  take  him  to  myself.' 

"The  fact  that  he  had  to  be  commanded  three  times 
to  do  this  thing  shows  that  the  trial  must  have  been  extra- 
ordinary, for  he  was  a  man  who,  from  the  first,  had  yielded 
implicit  obedience  to  every  requirement  of  the  Prophet. 

"When  first  hearing  the  principle  taught,  believing 
that  he  would  be  called  upon  to  enter  into  it,  he  had 
thought  of  two  elderly  ladies  named  Pitkin,  great  friends 
of  my  mother's,  who,  he  believed,  would  cause  her  little, 
if  any,  unhappiness.  But  the  woman  he  was  commanded 
to  take  was  an  English  lady  named  Sarah  Noon,  nearer 
my  mother's  age,  who  came  over  with  the  company  of 
Saints  in  the  same  ship  in  which  father  and  Brother  Brig- 
ham  returned  from  Europe.  She  had  been  married  and 
was  the  mother  of  two  little  girls,  but  left  her  husband 
on  account  of  his  drunken  and  dissolute  habits.  Father 
was  told  to  take  her  as  his  wife  and  provide  for  her  and 
her  children,  and  he  did  so.* 

*     Heber  was  told  by  Joseph  that  if  he  did  not  do  this  he  would  lose  his  Apostle- 
ship  and  be  damned. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  337 

"  My  mother  had  noticed  a  change  in  his  manner 
and  appearance,  and  when  she  inquired  the  cause,  he 
tried  to  evade  her  questions.  At  last  he  promised  he 
would  tell  her  after  a  while,  if  she  would  only  wait.  This 
trouble  so  worked  upon  his  mind  that  his  anxious  and 
haggard  looks  betrayed  him  daily  and  hourly,  and  finally 
his  misery  became  so  unbearable  that  it  was  impossible 
to  control  his  feelings.  He  became  sick  in  body,  but  his 
mental  wretchedness  was  too  great  to  allow  of  his  retir- 

o 

ing,  and  he  would  walk  the  floor  till  nearly  morning,  and 
some  times  the  agony  of  his  mind  was  so  terrible  that  he 
would  wring  his  hands  and  weep  like  a  child,  and 
beseech  the  Lord  to  be  merciful  and  reveal  to  her  this 
principle,  for  he  himself  could  not  break  his  vow  of 
secrecy. 

"The  anguish  of  their  hearts  was  indescribable,  and 
when  she  found  it  was  useless  to  beseech  him  longer,  she 
retired  to  her  room  and  bowed  before  the  Lord  and 
poured  out  her  soul  in  prayer  to  Him  who  hath  said:  'If 
any  lack  wisdom  let  him  ask  of  God,  who  giveth  to  all 
men  liberally  and  upbraideth  not.'  My  father's  heart 
was  raised  at  the  same  time  in  supplication.  While 
pleading  as  one  would  plead  for  life,  the  vision  of  her 
mind  was  opened,  and,  as  darkness  flees  before  the 
morning  sun,  so  did  her  sorrow  and  the  groveling  things 
of  earth  vanish  away. 

"Before  her  was  illustrated  the  order  of  celestial 
marriage,  in  all  its  beauty  and  glory,  together  with  the 
great  exaltation  and  honor  it  would  confer  upon  her  in 
that  immortal  and  celestial  sphere,  if  she  would  accept  it 
and  stand  in  her  place  by  her  husband's  side.  She  also 
saw  the  woman  he  had  taken  to  wife,  and  contemplated 
with  joy  the  vast  and  boundless  love  and  union  which 
this  order  would  bring  about,  as  well  as  the  increase  of 


22 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

her  husband's  kingdoms,  and  the  power  and  glory  extend- 
ing throughout  the  eternities,  worlds  without  end. 

"With  a  countenance  beaming  with  joy,  for  she  was 
filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  she  returned  to  my  father, 
saying:  'Heber,  what  you  kept  from  me  the  Lord  has 
shown  me.'  She  told  me  she  never  saw  so  happy  a  man 
as  father  was  when  she  described  the  vision  and  told  him 
she  was  satisfied  and  knew  it  was  from  God. 

"She  covenanted  to  stand  by  him  and  honor  the 
principle,  which  covenant  she  faithfully  kept,  and  though 
her  trials  were  often  heavy  and  grievous  to  bear,  she 
knew  that  father  was  also  being  tried,  and  her  integrity 
was  unflinching  to  the  end.  She  gave  my  father  many 
wives,  and  they  always  found  in  my  mother  a  faithful 
friend." 

Helen  also  refers  in  her  narrative  to  the  sensation 
caused  in  Nauvoo,  one  Sabbath  morning,  prior  to  the 
return  of  the  Twelve  from  England,  by  a  sermon  of  the 
Prophet's  on  "the  restoration  of  all  things,"  in  which  it 
was  hinted  that  the  patriarchal  or  plural  order  of  mar- 
riage, as  practiced  by  the  ancients,  would  some  day  again 
be  established,  The  excitement  created  by  the  bare 
suggestion  was  such  that  Joseph  deemed  it  wisdom,  in 
the  afternoon,  to  modify  his  statement  by  saying  that 
possibly  the  Spirit  had  made  the  time  seem  nearer  than 
it  really  was,  when  such  things  would  be  restored. 

These  facts  serve  to  show  something  of  the  nature 
and  extent  of  the  sacrifice  made  by  the  Saints  in  accept- 
ing this  principle,  and  likewise  the  pure,  lofty,  religious 
motives  actuating  both  men  and  women  who  could 
thus  heroically  embrace  a  doctrine  against  which — as  is 
generally  the  case  with  the  gospel's  higher  principles — 
their  traditions  and  preconceived  notions  instinctively 
rebelled. 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  339 

Soon  after  the  revelation  was  given,  a  golden  link 
was  forged  whereby  the  houses  of  Heber  and  Joseph 
were  indissolubly  and  forever  joined.*  Helen  Mar,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  Heber  Chase  and  Vilate  Murray 
Kimball,  was  given  to  the  Prophet  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
celestial  marriage. 


CHAPTER    XLVII. 

JOHN  c.  BENNETT'S    APOSTASY — HEBER  AND   THE  TWELVE 

SENT  OUT  TO  REFUTE  HIS  SLANDERS HEBER's  FAMOUS 

SERMON:  ''THE  CLAY  IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  POTTER" — 

INCEPTION  OF  THE  RELIEF  SOCIETY— VILATE's  VOW  AND 

HEBER'S  PRAYER. 

WITHOUT  doubt,  the  revelation  of  the  great  princi- 
ple of  plural  marriage  was  a  prime  cause  of  the  troubles 
which  now  arose,  culminating  in  the  Prophet's  martyrdom 
and  the  exodus  of  the  Church  into  the  wilderness.  True, 
the  old  causes  remained,  sectarian  hatred  and  political 
jealousies,  and  these  were  the  immediate  reasons  for  such 
results.  But  back  of  all  was  the  eternal  warfare  of  truth 
and  error,  battling  each  for  the  world's  supremacy,  and 
the  mailed  hand  of  Omnipotence  pushing  the  chosen 
people  along  the  thorn-strewn,  blood-sprinkled  path  of  a 
glorious  destiny. 

John   C.   Bennett,    an    individual   who  had  wormed 


#     The  Prophet  Joseph,  I    am  informed,  in   blessing   Heber  C.  Kimball,  told  him 
that  his  inheritance  in  Zion  should  adjoin  his  on  the  north. 


340  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

himself  into  the  good  graces  of  the  Saints,  like  the  ser- 
pent of  old  among  the  flowers  of  Eden,  at  this  juncture 
apostatized,  not  finding  the  Church  of  God,  with  its  pure 
and  wholesome  laws,  a  safe  refuge  for  vice,  or  a  suitable 
arena  for  the  antics  of  rascality.  Excommunicated 
for  his  vile  practices,  he  at  once  entered  the  lecture 
field — that  favorite  resort  of  vengeful  apostates — and 
sought  to  abuse  the  public  mind  in  relation  to  the 
Latter-day  Saints  and  their  religion.  His  charges  were 
so  atrocious  as  to  half  defeat  their  own  purpose, 
the  more  intelligent  at  once  rejecting  them  for  what 
they  were — outrageous  fabrications.  Many  of  the 
ignorant  and  fanatical,  however,  believed  them.  The 
Prophet  therefore  called  a  council  of  leading  Elders, 
including  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  others  of  the  Twelve, 
to  consider  the  advisability  of  sending  missionaries 
through  the  states  to  preach  the  gospel — the  principles 
which  the  Saints  really  believed  and  were  authorized  to 
teach — and  expose  and  refute  the  slanderous  charges  of 
the  man  Bennett  and  other  apostates. 

This  council  was  held  in  the  latter  part  of  August, 
1842.  It  was  decided  to  hold  a  special  conference  at 
once  and  nominate  the  Elders  who  were  to  go  upon  this 
mission.  Accordingly,  on  the  2Qth  of  August  a  confer- 
ence convened  at  Nauvoo,  at  which  three  hundred  and 
eighty  Elders  volunteered  for  the  purpose. 

One  of  these  was  Heber  C.  Kimball.  He,  in  com- 
pany with  Brigham  Young,  George  A.  Smith  and  Amasa 
Lyman  (who  had  lately  been  ordained  an  Apostle  under 
the  hands  of  the  other  three),  having  been  instructed  by 
the  Prophet,  set  out  upon  this  mission  early  in  Septem- 
ber. They  held  their  first  meeting  at  Lima,  where  they 
addressed  a  large  assembly  in  a  grove,  in  relation  to  the 
slanderous  reports  of  John  C.  Bennett.  Their  labors 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  34! 

and  subsequent  movements  were  outlined  as  follows  in  a 
letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Times  and  Seasons: 

"DEAR  BROTHER  : 

"Having  commenced  our  mission  yesterday, 
we  held  our  first  conference  at  Elder  Isaac  Mor- 
ley's.  We  had  a  good  time.  The  brethren  here  are  in 
good  spirits.  We  ordained  nineteen  Elders  and  baptized 
twelve.  We  expect  next  Saturday  and  Sunday  to  hold  a 
two  days'  meeting  in  Ouincy,  being  the  lyth  and  i8th 
instant;  on  the  24th  and  25th  at  Payson ;  the  ist  and  2nd 
of  October  at  Pleasant  Vale  ;  the  8th  and  nth  of  Octo- 
ber at  Pittsfield;  the  i5th  and  i6th  of  October  at  Apple 
Creek,  in  Green  County.  From  thence  we  shall  proceed 
to  Jacksonville  and  Springfield. 

"If  you  please,  notice  the  above  in  your  paper,  for 
the  benefit  of  those  friends  scattered  abroad. 
"Yours  in  the  everlasting  covenant, 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG, 
H.  C.  KIMBALL. 
"MORLEY  SETTLEMENT, 

September  12,  1842." 

Having  fulfilled  their  mission,  Brigham  and  Heber 
returned  together  to  Nauvoo  on  the  4th  of  November. 

The  opening  of  the  year  1843  was  a  period  of 
rejoicing  to  the  Saints  at  Nauvoo,  the  Prophet  having 
been  honorably  discharged  from  his  arrest  under  the 
Missouri  writ,  by  the  U.  S.  District  Court  of  Illinois, 
Judge  Pope  presiding.  Grateful  for  this,  the  Twelve 
issued  a  proclamation  to  the  Saints  to  observe  the  1 7th 
of  January  as  a  day  of  fasting,  prayer  and  thanksgiving 
for  the  Prophet's  deliverance.  On  the  next  day  Joseph 
invited  his  friends  to  a  feast  to  commemorate  the  event, 
Heber  being  one  of  the  number. 

On  the  evening  of  March  ;th  a  meeting  was  held  at 
the  house  of  Elder  Kimball,  which  was  crowded.  Heber 
addressed  the  assembly,  taking  for  his  text,  Jeremiah 


342  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

xviii,  2-5,  on  the  figure  of  the  clay  in  the  hands  of  the 
potter.  Joseph  was  so  pleased  with  his  sermon  that  he 
deemed  it  worthy  of  special  notice  in  his  history.  This 
was  the  origin  of  Heber's  famous  sermon — "the  clay  in 
the  hands  of  the  potter/'  so  familiar  to  the  Saints,  and 
well  worthy  of  remembrance,  not  only  for  the  masterly 
way  in  which  it  was  presented,  but  for  the  depth  of  the 
doctrine  therein  contained. 

Probably  it  was  Heber's  early  profession — it  will  be 
remembered  that  he  was  by  trade  a  potter — that  first 
impressed  him  with  this  important  theme,  with  its  train 
of  associate  thoughts  and  images.  And  herein  was  shown 
the  thoughtful,  observant  nature  of  his  mind,  which  drew 
from  simplest  as  well  as  sublimest  objects  that  wealth  of 
simile,  the  rich  fund  of  metaphor  and  comparison  in 
which  his  sayings  were  so  prolific.  Thus  also  was  evinced 
the  poet  nature  of  the  man,  though  he  probably  never 
wrote  a  line  of  verse. 

Heber's  powers  as  a  speaker — though  he  never 
sought  the  distinction  or  claimed  the  title  of  orator — 
were  well  recognized,  even  at  that  early  day.  As  a  per- 
suader, not  with  tinkling  phrases  and  flowery  rhetoric,  to 
please  the  ear,  but  by  simple  words  and  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  to  move  the  heart,  he  had  few  equals. 

Some  days  after  the  meeting  referred  to,  a  petition 
reached  Nauvoo  from  Boston,  signed  by  twelve  huud- 
red  names,  asking  for  Elders  Heber  C.  Kimball  and 
Orson  Hyde  to  come  and  labor  in  that  city.  A  similar 
petition  was  also  sent  from  Salem,  Massachusetts,  by 
Elder  Erastus  Snow.  Before  going  on  another  mission, 
however,  Heber,  in  connection  with  the  Prophet,  took  an 
active  part  in  creating  an  organization  which  has  since 
become  famous  in  the  midst  of  Israel.  It  was  no  other 
than  the  Relief  Society,  the  preliminary  meeting  of  which 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  343 

was  held  at  the  house  of  Heber  C.  Kimball  in  Nauvoo. 
In  view  of  the  scarcely  less  famous  organizations  which 
have  sprung  up  since,  known  as  the  Young  Men's  and 
Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  former 
movement  originated  among  the  young  people,  for  whose 
welfare  Heber  was  at  that  time  specially  and  zealously 
laboring.  We  quote  from  the  Prophet's  history: 

A  SHORT    SKETCH     OF     THE     RISE     OF     THE     YOUNG    GENTLE- 
MEN AND  LADIES'   RELIEF  SOCIETY. 

"In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1843,  a  number  of 
young  people  assembled  at  the  house  of  Elder  H.  C. 
Kimball,  who  warned  them  against  the  various  tempta- 
tions to  which  youth  is  exposed,  and  gave  an  appoint- 
ment expressly  for  the  young  at  the  house  of  Elder  Bill- 
ings ;  and  another  meeting  was  held  in  the  ensuing  week 
at  Brother  Farr's  school-room,  which  was  filled  to  over- 
flowing. Elder  Kimball  delivered  addresses,  exhorting 
the  young  people  to  study  the  scriptures,  and  enable 
themselves  to  'give  a  reason  for  the  hope  within  them,' 
and  to  be  ready  to  go  on  to  the  stage  of  action,  when 
their  present  instructors  and  leaders  had  gone  behind  the 
scenes ;  also  to  keep  good  company  and  to  keep  pure 
and  unspotted  from  the  world. 

"The  next  meeting  was  appointed  to  be  held  at  my 
house ;  and  notwithstanding  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather,  it  was  completely  filled  at  an  early  hour.  Elder 
Kimball,  as  usual,  delivered  an  address,  warning  his 
hearers  against  giving  heed  to  their  youthful  passions, 
and  exhorting  them  to  be  obedient  and  pay  strict  atten- 
tion to  the  advice  and  command  of  their  parents,  who 
were  better  calculated  to  guide  the  pathway  of  youth 
than  they  themselves. 

"My  house  being  too  small,  the  next  meeting  was 
appointed  to  be  held  over  my  store.  I  addressed  the 
young  people  for  some  time,  expressing  my  gratitude  to 


344  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Elder  Kimball  for  having  commenced  this  glorious  work, 
which  would  be  the  means  of  doing  a  great  deal  of  good, 
and  said  the  gratitude  of  all  good  men  and  of  the  youth 
would  follow  him  through  life,  and  he  would  always  look 
back  upon  the  winter  of  1843  with  pleasure.  I  experi- 
enced more  embarrassment  in  standing  before  them  than 
I  should  before  kings  and  nobles  of  the  earth ;  for  I  knew 
the  crimes  of  which  they  were  guilty,  and  knew  precisely 
how  to  address  them  ;  but  that  my  young  friends  were 
guilty  of  none  of  them,  and  therefore  I  hardly  knew  what 
to  say. 

"I  advised  them  to  organize  themselves  into  a  society 
for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  and  recommended  to  them  a 
poor  lame  English  brother  [Maudesley],  who  wanted  a 
house  built,  that  he  might  have  a  home  amongst  the 
Saints ;  that  he  had  gathered  a  few  materials  for  the  pur- 
pose, but  was  unable  to  use  them,  and  had  petitioned  for 
aid.  I  advised  them  to  choose  a  committee  to  collect 
funds  for  this  purpose,  and  perform  this  charitable  act  as 
soon  as  the  weather  permitted.  I  gave  them  such  advice 
as  I  deemed  was  calculated  to  guide  their  conduct  through 
life  and  prepare  them  for  a  glorious  eternity. 

"A  meeting  was  appointed  to  carry  out  these  sug- 
gestions, at  which  William  Cutler  was  chosen  president, 
and  Marcellus  L.  Bates,  clerk.  Andrew  Cahoon,  C.  V. 
Spencer  and  Stephen  Perry  were  appointed  to  draft  a 
constitution  for  the  society,  and  the  meeting  adjourned 
to  the  28th  of  March,  when  the  said  committee  submitted 
a  draft  of  a  constitution,  consisting  of  twelve  sections. 
The  report  was  unanimously  adopted,  and  the  meeting 
proceeded  to  choose  their  officers.  William  Walker  was 
chosen  president;  William  Cutler,  vice-president;  Lorin 
Walker,  treasurer;  James  M.  Monroe,  secretary;  Stephen 
Perry,  Marcellus  L.  Bates,  R.  A.  Allred,  Wm.  H.  Kim- 
ball  and  Garret  Ivans,  were  appointed  a  committee  of 
vigilance.  The  meeting  then  adjourned  until  the  next 
Tuesday  evening. 

' '  The  next  meeting  was  addressed  by  Elders  Brigham 
Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Jedediah  M.  Grant,  whose 
instructions  were  listened  to  with  breathless  attention." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  345 

The  Relief  Society  afterwards  became  distinctively 
a  woman's  organization. 

Heber's  next  mission  was  through  the  eastern 
states,  in  company  with  President  Young  and  others,  col- 
lecting means  for  the  temple  and  the  Nauvoo  House,  which 
were  then  in  course  of  erection.  They  left  Nauvoo  early 
in  June,  1843.  The  day  before  starting,  Vilate  Kimball 
penned  these  tender  lines  and  presented  them  as  a  token 
of  love  to  her  husband  : 

"NAUVOO,  June  8th,  1843. 
"Mv  EVER  KIND  AND  AFFECTIONATE  COMPANION: 

"I  write  these  few  lines  for  you  to  look  upon  when 
you  are  far  distant  from  me,  and  when  you  read  them 
remember  they  were  penned  by  one  whose  warm,  affec- 
tionate heart  is  ever  the  same  towards  you  ;  yea,  it  is 
fixed,  firm  as  a  decree  which  is  unalterable.  Therefore, 
let  your  heart  be  comforted,  and  if  you  never  more 
behold  my  face  in  time,  let  this  be  my  last  covenant  and 
testimony  unto  you :  that  I  am  yours  in  time  and  through- 
out all  eternity.  This  blessing  has  been  sealed  upon  us 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  and  cannot  be  broken 
only  through  transgression,  or  committing  a  grosser 
crime  than  your  heart  or  mine  is  capable  of,  that  is,  mur- 
der. 

"So  be  of  cheer,  my  dearest  dear, 

For  we  shall  meet  again 
Where  all  our  sorrows  will  be  o'er, 
And  we  are  free  from  pain. 

"V.   KIMBALL." 

Heber's  full  heart  responded  as  follows: 

"O  God,  the  Eternal  Father,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  wilt  Thou  bless  her  with  peace  and  with  a  long 
life ;  and  when  Thou  shalt  see  fit  to  take  her,  let  Thy  ser- 
vant go  with  her ;  and  dwell  with  each  other  throughout 
all  eternity ;  that  no  power  shall  ever  separate  us  from 
each  other ;  for  Thou,  O  God,  knowest  we  love  each 


346  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

other  with  pure  hearts.  Still,  we  are  willing  to  leave- 
each  other  from  time  to  time,  to  preach  Thy  word  to  the 
children  of  men.  Now,  O  God,  heaf  Thy  servant,  and 
let  us  have  the  desires  of  our  hearts  ;  for  we  want  to  live 
together,  and  die,  and  be  buried,  and  rise  and  reign 
together  in  Thy  kingdom  with  our  dear  children  ;  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth.  Amen." 

This  tender  interchange  of  affection,  be  it  remem- 
bered, was  after  Heber  and  Vilate  had  embraced  the 
principle  of  plural  marriage ;  a  point  which  fails  to  sus- 
tain the  position  assumed  by  most  Christian  philosophers, 
as  to  the  "brutalizing  and  debasing  effects  of  Mormon 
polygamy." 

Here  is  another  little  gem  of  Vilate's,  written  sev- 
eral years  later : 

LINES      WRITTEN      BY     VILATE     KIMBALL     TO     HER     COMPANION 
HEBER    C.     KIMBALL. 

"  No  being  round  the  spacious  earth 

Beneath  the  vaulted  arch  of  heaven, 
Divides  my  love,  or  draws  it  thence, 

From  him  to  whom  my  heart  is  given. 

"  Like  the  frail  ivy  to  the  oak, 

Drawn  closer,  by  the  tempest  riven, 
Through  sorrow's  flood  he'll  bear  me  up 
And  light  with  smiles  my  way  to  heaven. 

"  The  gift  was  on  the  altar  laid; 

The  plighted  vow  on  earth  was  given  ; 
The  seal  eternal  has  been  made, 

And  by  his  side  I'll  reign  in  heaven. 
WINTER  QUARTERS, 

January  17,  1847." 

The  last  verse  of  this  beautiful  little  poem  delicately 
tells  the  whole  story  of  the  sacrifice  made  by  this  noble 
and  devoted  pair,  and  the  reward  of  their  fidelity  in 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  347 

accepting  the  great  principle  whose    "seal  eternal"  had 
bound  them  together  for  time  and  all  eternity. 

The  Apostles  returned  from  their  mission  to  the 
east  on  the  22nd  of  October,  1843.  Heber's  purely 
missionary  labors  were  drawing  to  a  close.  The  hour  of 
the  Prophet's  martyrdom  was  approaching,  and  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  Twelve,  as  the  First  Presidents  of  the 
Church,  was  about  to  roll  the  burden  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  latter  days. 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

HEBER'S  LAST  MISSION  TO  THE  GENTILES — JOSEPH  SMITH  A 
CANDIDATE  FOR  THE  PRESIDENCY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
THE  APOSTLES  HIS  ELECTIONEERERS THE  MARTYR- 
DOM  RETURN  OF  THE  TWELVE  TO  NAUVOO. 

ON  the  2ist  of  May  of  the  fateful  year  1844,  Heber 
C.  Kimball  left  Nauvoo  on  his  last  mission  to  the  Gen- 
tiles. He  accompanied  President  Brigham  Young  and 
other  Apostles  and  Elders,  about  one  hundred  in  all. 
The  object  of  their  mission  was  unique.  It  was  to  pre- 
sent to  the  nation  the  name  of  Joseph  Smith  as  a  candi- 
date for  the  presidency  of  the  United  States. 

The  steamer  Osprcy,  on  which  the  Elders  took  pas- 
sage for  St.  Louis,  left  the  wharf  at  Nauvoo  amid  the 
cheers  and  acclamations  of  those  on  shore,  who  shouted: 
"Joseph  Smith,  the  next  President  of  the  United  States  ! " 

Alas  !  little  knew  those  faithful  souls,  who  went  forth 
full  of  hope  and  patriotism  that  bright  May  morning, 


34$  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

that  they  had  looked  their  last  upon  the  living  features  of 
their  beloved  Prophet,  whom  they  were  thus  offering  as 
a  political  savior  to  the  nation ;  that  within  six  weeks, 
while  they  were  yet  absent  on  their  errand,  a  deed  would 
be  done  which,  for  cruelty  and  atrocity,  and  for  fearful 
consequences  upon  the  guilty — shedders  of  innocent 
blood ! — must  stand  without  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of 
modern  crime. 

Doubtless  there  was  a  destiny  in  the  absence  from 
the  Prophet's  side,  at  such  a  time,  of  men  like  Heber  C. 
Kimball  and  Brigham  Young.  Of  all  those  about  him, 
upon  these  men,  as  upon  two  pillars  of  power,  Joseph  at 
that  time  most  leaned.  Of  the  original  Twelve  Apostles, 
according  to  the  Prophet's  own  testimony,  this  twain 
alone  had  never  "lifted  up  their  heels  against  him." 
Satan  knew  best  when  to  strike,  and  chose  the  fell 
moment  to  lay  his  fatal  snare  when  Brigham,  Heber  and 
others  of  Joseph's  wisest  counselors  were  away.  God 
had  so  ordered  and  permitted. 

St.  Louis  was  reached  by  the  Apostles  on  the  22nd 
of  May.  Calling  the  Church  together  in  that  city,  Elders 
Young  and  Kimball  instructed  them  spiritually  and  politi- 
cally. The  Saints  there  numbered  nearly  seven  hundred 
souls.  Thence,  a  journey  of  thirteen  days  brought  them 
to  the  capital  of  the  nation. 

Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Lyman  Wight  were  now 
traveling  together.  Following  is  a  digest  of  their  letters 
to  the  Prophet,  Elder  Wight  acting  as  scribe : 

"We  have  got  a  petition  signed,  with  our  names 
attached,  in  behalf  of  the  Church,  asking  for  a  remuner- 
ation for  our  losses,  and  not  for  our  rights,  or  redress, 
for  they  would  not  receive  such  a  petition  from  us.  It 
was  thought  by  Judge  Semple,  Judge  Douglas,  General 
Atchison,  and  Major  Hughes,  that  our  petition  would 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.   KIMBALL.  349 

carry  if  it  was  not  too  late  in  the  season.  Judge  Semple 
handed  it  to  the  committee  on  public  lands.  He  said  he 
would  do  the  best  he  could  for  us.  General  Atchison  is 
of  the  opinion  if  we  could  sue  the  state  of  Missouri  for 
redress  of  grievances,  that  there  was  virtue  enough  in 
the  state  to  answer  our  demands,  'for,'  said  he,  'they  are 
ashamed  of  their  conduct!  Douglas  and  Semple  are  of 
the  same  opinion.  Brother  Kimball  and  myself  spared 
no  pains  during  our  stay  at  Washington.  We  left  on 
the  nth  inst.  for  Wilmington,  Delaware.  Thence  jour- 
neying to  Philadelphia  on  the  i3th. 

"On  the  2ist  we  shall  attend  conference  at  Wil- 
mington, and  go  thence  to  New  York  and  Boston,  and 
so  continue  from  place  to  place  until  we  shall  have 
accomplished  the  mission  appointed  unto  us.  *  *  * 
Just  returned  from  Wilmington  Conference,  accompanied 
by  several  of  the  brethren  and  sisters  who  went  from 
this  place.  We  can  truly  say  that  this  was  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  trips  in  our  life.  We  went  down  on  the 
steamer  Balloon,  and  returned  by  railway. 

"Our  Conference  commenced  on  Saturday,  the 
22nd.  The  brethren  came  in  from  the  adjacent  country, 
and  after  much  instruction  from  Brothers  Kimball  and 
Wight,  we  took  a  vote  to  know  whether  they, would  go 
whithersoever  the  Presidency,  Patriarch  and  Twelve 
went,  should  it  be  to  Oregon,  Texas  or  California,  or 
any  other  place  directed  by  the  wisdom  of  Almighty 
God.  The  Saints,  numbering  about  one  hundred,  rose 
to  their  feet  and  exclaimed,  'whithersoever  they  go,  we 
go,'  without  a  dissenting  voice.  This  was  truly  an  inter- 
esting meeting.  We  have  not  the  least  idea  that  any 
one  will  back  out ;  they  are  nearly  all  men  of  wealth  and 
have  commenced  this  morning  to  offer  all  surplus  prop- 
erty for  sale,  that  whenever  you  say  go,  they  are  ready. 
We  ordained  ten  as  promising  young  Elders  as  we  ever 
laid  hands  upon.  They  pledged  themselves  to  start  this 
week  and  go  through  the  state  of  Delaware  from  house 
to  house,  and  proclaim  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is 
at  hand. 

"On  Sabbath,  the  23rd,  we  preached  alternately   to 


350  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

a  large  and  respectable  congregation,  and  left  the  warm- 
est of  friends  in  that  place,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
Church. 

''Yours  as  ever, 

"H.  C.  KIMBALL, 
"LYMAN  WIGHT." 

A  letter  from  Vilate  Kimball  to  her  husband,  from 
which  we  make  the  following  extracts,  describes  the 
scenes  that  were  then  taking  place  in  Nauvoo ; 

"June  7th,  1844. 
"My  DEAR  HUSBAND: 

"  Nauvoo  was  never  so  lonesome  since  we  lived  here 
as  it  is  now.  I  went  to  meeting  last  Sunday  for  the  first 
time  since  conference.  Neither  Joseph,  nor  Hyrum,  nor 
any  of  the  Twelve  were  there,  and  you  may  be  assured 
that  I  was  glad  when  meeting  was  over. 

"June  nth.  Nauvoo  was  a  scene  of  excitement 
last  night.  Some  hundreds  of  the  brethren  turned  out 
and  burned  the  press  of  the  opposite  party.  This  was 
done  by  order  of  the  city  council.  They  had  only  pub- 
lished one  paper  {Nauvoo  Expositor]  which  is  consid- 
ered a  public  nuisance.  They  have  sworn  vengeance 
and  no  doubt  they  will  have  it. 

"June  24th.  Since  I  commenced  this  letter,  varied 
and  exciting  indeed  have  been  the  scenes  in  this  city.  I 
would  have  sent  this  to  you  before  this  time,  but  I  have 
been  thrown  into  such  confusion  I  know  not  what  to 
write.  Nor  is  this  all :  the  mails  do  not  come  regularly, 
having  been  stopped  by  high  water,  or  the  flood  of  mob- 
ocracy  which  pervades  the  country.  I  have  received  no 
letter  by  mail  from  you  since  you  left. 

"Nothing  is  to  be  heard  of  but  mobs  collecting  on 
every  side.  The  Laws  and  Fosters  and  most  of  the  dis- 
senting party,  with  their  families,  left  here  a  day  or  two 
since.  They  are  sworn  to  have  Joseph  and  the  city 
council,  or  to  exterminate  us  all.  Between  three  and 
four  thousand  brethren  have  been  under  arms  here  the 
past  week,  expecting  every  day  the  mob  would  come 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  351 

upon  us.  The  brethren  from  the  country  are  coming  in 
to  aid  in  the  defense  of  the  city.  Brother  Joseph  sent  a 
message  to  the  Governor,  signifying  ;if  he  and  his  staff 
would  come  into  the  city  he  would  abide  their  decision  ; 
but  instead  of  the  Governor  coming  here  he  went  to  Car- 
thage, and  there  walked  arm  and  arm  with  Law  and  Fos- 
ter, until  we  have  reason  to  fear  he  has  caught  their 
spirit.  He  sent  thirty  men  from  there  day  before  yester- 
day to  arrest  Brother  Joseph,  with  an  abusive  letter, 
saying,  if  thirty  men  cannot  do  the  business  thousands 
can,  ordering  the  brethren  who  had  been  ordered  out  to 
defend  the  city  against  the  mob  to  deliver  up  their  arms 
to  their  men  and  then  disperse. 

"Yesterday  morning  (although  it  was  Sunday)  was 
a  time  of  great  excitement.  Joseph  had  fled  and  left 
word  for  the  brethren  to  hang  on  to  their  arms  and 

o 

defend  themselves  as  best  they  could.  Some  were 
dreadfully  tried  in  their  faith  to  think  Joseph  should  leave 
them  in  the  hour  of  danger.  Hundreds  have  left ;  the 
most  of  the  merchants  on  the  hill  have  gone.  I  have 
not  felt  frightened,  neither  has  my  heart  sunk  within  me 
till  yesterday,  when  I  heard  Joseph  had  sent  word  back 
for  his  family  to  follow  him,  and  Brother  Whitney's  fam- 
ily were  packing  up,  not  knowing  but  they  would  have 
to  go,  as  he  is  one  of  the  city  council.  For  a  while  I 
felt  sad  enough,  but  did  not  let  anybody  know  it,  neither 
did  I  shed  any  tears.  I  felt  a  confidence  in  the  Lord  that 
He  would  preserve  us  from  the  ravages  of  our  enemies. 
We  expected  them  here  to-day  by  the  thousands,  but 
before  night  yesterday,  things  put  on  a  different  aspect 
— Joseph  returned  and  gave  himself  up  for  trial.  He 
sent  a  messenger  to  Carthage  to  tell  the  governor  he 
would  meet  him  and  his  staff  at  the  big  mound  at  eight 
o'clock  this  morning,  with  all  that  the  writ  demanded. 
They  have  just  passed  here  to  meet  the  Governor  for 
that  purpose.  My  heart  said,  'Lord,  bless  those  dear 
men  and  preserve  them  from  those  that  thirst  for  their 
blood  ! '  What  will  be  their  fate  the  Lord  only  knows, 
but  I  trust  He'll  spare  them.  The  governor  wrote  that 
if  they  did  not  give  themselves  up,  our  city  was  sus- 


352  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

pended  upon  so  many  kegs  of  powder,  and  it  needed 
only  one  spark  to  touch  them  off.  If  you  were  here  you 
would  be  sure  to  be  in  their  midst,  which  would  increase 
my  anxiety." 

Now  fell  the  thunderbolt! 

On  the  2Oth  of  June  Joseph,  feeling  himself  hedged 
around  by  his  enemies,  had  written  for  the  immediate 
return  of  the  Apostles.  It  was  his  last  communication 
to  them  in  mortality.  Seven  days  later,  on  the  evening 
of  the  2  yth  of  June,  1844,  Joseph  and  his  brother  Hyrum 
were  assassinated  in  Carthage  Jail. 

Heber  and  Lyman  Wight  were  in  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, when  the  dreadful  news  came.  It  struck  Heber 
to  the  heart.  He  tried  hard  not  to  believe.  Yet 
he,  and  the  Apostles  generally,  traveling  in  different 
parts,  on  the  night  of  the  assassination  had  felt  a  severe 
mental  shock,  for  which  they  could  not  account  until  the 
terrible  news  reached  their  ears. 

Grief-stricken  and  almost  crushed  with  sorrow,  the 
Twelve  turned  their  sad  steps  homeward.  Heber  and 
Lyman  took  the  cars  for  Boston,  where  they  remained 
during  the  day,  and  then  proceeded  to  New  York. 
Returning  to  Boston  to  consult  with  their  quorum, 
on  the  24th  of  July  in  company  with  President  Brigham 
Young  they  set  out  for  home.  At  Albany  they  were 
joined  by  Orson  Hyde,  Orson  Pratt  and  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff. They  traveled  night  and  day,  and  arrived  at 
Nauvoo  on  the  6th  of  August,  forty  days  after  the 
martyrdom. 


CHAPTER   XLIX. 

CHOICE  OF  JOSEPH'S  SUCCESSOR — A  MIRACLE — THE  MANTLE 
OF   JOSEPH   FALLS  UPON    BRIGHAM  YOUNG HEBER  C. 

KIMBALL  HIS  RIGHT  HAND  MAN. 

IN  the  death  of  its  Prophet  and  Patriarch,  the 
Church  had  received  a  stunning  blow,  but  with  super- 
human vitality  it  revived  from  the  shock,  and  rose  up  in 
God-like  energy  to  renew  its  mission  of  salvation  to  man- 
kind. Mighty  men  were  they  who  had  fallen,  but  God's 
work  rests  not  upon  man,  and  under  the  magic  stroke  of 
the  wand  of  Omnipotence  other  great  men  had  risen  to 
fulfill  their  destiny  and  perpetuate  the  works  and  mem- 
ories of  the  martyred  slain. 

But  who  was  now  the  leader  of  Israel?  Such  was 
the  problem  presenting  itself  to  the  people.  In  the 
absence  of  their  Prophet  the  Saints  felt  like  sheep  with- 
out a  shepherd.  He  had  carried  the  Church,  as  if  an 
infant  in  arms,  from  the  very  hour  of  its  birth,  nursing 
it  with  the  milk  of  revelation.  It  was  now  no  longer  a 
babe,  yet  still,  as  a  little  child,  it  had  need  to  be  led,  by 
one  in  whom  was  the  spirit  and  wisdom  of  the  heavens. 

A  crisis  had  come.  The  First  Presidency  was  no 
more.  Death  had  dissolved  that  quorum.  Next,  stood 
the  Twelve,  an  independent  body,  now  holding  the  keys 
of  the  kingdom,  from  Joseph,  its  earthly  founder. 

But  this  fact,  though  known  to  the  Apostles,  upon 
whom  he  had  rolled  that  burden  and  conferred  that 
authority,  was  not  so  patent  to  the  people.  The  order 
of  the  Priesthood  was  not  so  well  known  then  as  now. 
Experience  had  not  supplemented  revelation  on  these 

23 


354  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

points,  and  doubtless  there  were  many  Saints  in  Nauvoo, 
as  there  are  many  now,  who  were  not  informed  upon 
things  which  had  been  plainly  taught  them  for  years. 

Besides,  Sidney  Rigdon,  one  of  the  three  first  presi- 
dents, was  alive,  to  press  his  claims  to  the  leadership, 
and  not  a  few  of  the  Saints  openly  favored  his  ambitious 
pretensions. 

Who  was  to  decide  in  such  a  controversy,  and  how 
was  the  right  man  to  be  known  ? 

God  had  provided  the  way. 

Elder  Rigdon,  on  hearing  of  the  martyrdom,  had 
come  in  haste  from  Pittsburgh,  whither  he  had  retired 
some  months  before  from  the  troubles  and  turmoils  of 
persecuted  Saint-life  in  Nauvoo,  to  offer  himself  as  the 
*  "guardian"  and  '  'great  leader"  whom  he  declared  was 
necessary  to  save  Israel.  Thus,  the  true  shepherd,  hav- 
ing "laid  down  his  life  for  the  sheep,"  the  false  one 
returned  when  the  wolves  had  fled  and  the  danger  was 
thought  to  be  over,  to  seize  the  laurels  which  another's 
valor  had  won.  And  this,  forsooth,  was  the  comforting 
message  that  he  bore  to  the  affrighted  people : 

"The  anti-Mormons  have  got  you!  You  can't  stay 
in  the  country !  Everything  is  in  confusion !  You  can 
do  nothing !  You  lack  a  great  leader !  You  want  a 
head;  and  unless  you  unite  upon  that  head  you're  blown 
to  the  four  winds.  The  anti-Mormons  will  carry  the 
election.  A  guardian  must  be  chosen." 

Such  was  the  situation  at  Nauvoo  when  Brigham, 
Heber  and  their  companions  returned.  Parley  P.  Pratt 
and  George  A.  Smith  had  arrived  some  time  before. 

The  great  day  came  which  Sidney  Rigdon  had  set 
apart  for  the  choosing  of  a  guardian  for  the  Church — 
August  8th,  1844.  Sidney  had  spoken,  urging  his  own 
claims  as  "the  identical  man  whom  all  the  prophets  had 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  355 

written  and  sung  about"  with  their  eyes  upon  that  very 
hour  and  occasion  ;  which  vain-glorious  remark  provoked 
from  Parley  P.  Pratt  the  humorous  retort  that  he,  himself, 
was  "the  identical  man  that  the  prophets  had  not  sung  or 
written  one  word  about."  Brigham  Young  was  now 
addressing  the  vast  congregation  which  assembled  on 
that  memorable  day,  in  the  grove  where  the  Prophet  had 
so  often  given  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Israel  : 

"If  the  people  want  Brother  Rigdon  to  lead  them, 
they  may  have  him,"  Brigham  declared.  "But  I  say 
unto  you,  the  Twelve  have  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  in  all  the  world.  The  Twelve  are  pointed  out  by 
the  finger  of  God.  Here  is  Brigham ;  have  his  knees 
ever  faltered?  Have  his  lips  ever  quivered?  Here  is 
Heber  and  the  rest  of  the  Twelve,  an  independent  body, 
who  have  the  keys  of  the  Priesthood,  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  God  to  deliver  to  all  the  world ;  this  is  true, 
so  help  me  God !  They  stand  next  to  Joseph,  and  are 
the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church." 

It  was  the  voice  of  "one  having  authority."  The 
dullest  ear  could  detect  the  difference  between  such  tones, 
such  words,  trembling  with  power,  and  the  vain  and 
empty  babblings  of  the  special  pleader,  Sidney.  Which 
of  these  men  the  Spirit  had  chosen,  was  already  manifest 
to  the  pure  in  heart  among  that  mighty  multitude. 

But  a  still  more  marvelous  manifestation  awaited 
them.  As  Brigham  proceeded  his  whole  being  became 
transfigured  ;  his  face  shone  like  an  angel's ;  his  form 
seemed  to  dilate  and  expand,  as  though  he  were  being 
lifted  from  the  floor ;  his  voice  changed ;  his  look,  his 
very  manner  was  that  of  another. 

IT  WAS  JOSEPH,   NOT  BRIGHAM,  WHO  WAS  SPEAKING! 

Thousands  saw  it  and  testified  of  its  truth.  The 
mantle  of  the  dead  Prophet  had  fallen  upon  the  shoulders 


356  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

of  the  living.  Joseph,  from  behind  the  vail,  had  pointed 
out  his  own  successor.  God  spake  that  day  through 
Brigham  Young,  "and  all  the  people  said  Amen!" 

No  truer  friend  had  Brigham  Young  than  Heber  C. 
Kimball.*  "Brother  Brigham"  had  been  his  choice  from 
the  first,  for  he  knew  that  he  was  the  chosen  of  the 
Almighty,  and  as  he  had  before  stood  by  Joseph,  he  now 
stood  firm  at  the  side  of  his  successor,  a  pillar  of  faith 
and  power  not  to  be  broken. 


CHAPTER   L. 

THE    WORK    MOVES    ON    IN    SPITE  OF    PERSECUTION    AND  APOS- 
TASY  THE  NAUVOO    TEMPLE  FINISHED    AND  DEDICATED 

THE    SAINTS    PREPARE    FOR     THEIR    REMOVAL    TO    THE 

ROCKY    MOUNTAINS. 

THE  work  of  God  was  only  expedited  by  the  efforts 
made  for  its  overthrow.  The  Apostles  continued  to  send 
out  missonaries  to  the  nations,  and  hurried  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Temple. 

Elder  Rigdon,  after  his  ineffectual  attempt  to  seize 
the  leadership  of  the  Church,  had  returned  to  Pittsburg, 
to  nurse,  as  best  he  might,  his  wounded  pride  and  disap- 
pointed ambition.  Many,  like  him,  were  apostatizing 
and  dividing  into  factions,  but  the  main  body  of  the 
Saints,  "taking  the  Holy  Spirit  for  their  guide,"  stood 
true  to  Brigham  and  the  Twelve.  The  Spirit  was  poured 

*  Heber  often  said  that  his  love  for  Brigham  exceeded  his  love  for  any  member  of 
his  own  family. 


RKS1DEXCKS     <>!•     CHURCH      LKADKRS     IN     NAUVOO. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  359 

out  mightily  upon   the   faithful,   and  the  good   work,  in 
spite  of  persecution  and  apostasy,  went  rolling  on. 

It  soon  became  evident  to  the  enemy  that  the  death 
of  the  Prophet,  so  far  from  destroying,  or  even  imped- 
ing Mormonism,  had  only  given  it  fresh  impetus,  an 
energy  which  they  feared,  if  allowed  to  increase,  might 
prove  irresistible.  They  therefore  renewed  the  attack, 
Brigham,  Heber  and  the  Twelve  now  being  the  especial 
objects  of  their  animus. 

Does  not  this  fact,  alone,  tell  where  lay  the  authority? 

The  chief  inciters  of  the  opposition  were  the  Laws, 
the  Fosters,  and  the  Higbees,  apostates  who  had  betrayed 
and  sacrificed  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  with  others  who  now 
joined  them  in  their  warfare  against  the  Twelve.  The 
most  strenuous  efforts  were  made,  generally  under  cover 
of  law,  to  get  President  Young  into  their  power;  and 
even  his  life,  it  is  said,  was  attempted  by  the  midnight 
assassin.  Knowing  their  fell  purpose,  and  remembering 
the  fate  of  the  martyrs,  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  who  had 
tested  the  virtue  of  official  pledges  and  the  protecting 
majesty  of  the  law  in  Illinois,  Brigham  and  Heber  wisely 
determined  not  to  be  taken. 

From  their  secret  retreats,  where  they  were  com- 
pelled to  hide,  at  times,  from  the  malice  of  their  would 
be  destroyers,  the  Apostles  came  forth,  on  the  morning 
of  Saturday,  the  24th  of  May,  1845,  to  lav  tne  cap-stone 
on  the  south-east  corner  of  the  Temple.  The  edifice 
wras  in  due  time  completed  and  dedicated,  and  many  of 
the  Elders  and  Saints  received  their  endowments  within 
its  sacred  walls. 

The  incident  which  gave  rise  to  the  story  of  "Bogus 
Brigham,"  with  which  many  of  our  readers  are  no  doubt 
familiar,  happened  about  this  time.  The  sheriff  from 
Carthage  was  at  the  door  of  the  Temple  to  arrest 


360  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

President  Young,  who  was  inside  the  building.  Bishop 
William  Miller,  who  resembled  the  President,  throw- 
ing on  Heber  C.  Kimball's  cloak,  (mistaking  it  for 
Brigham's,  which  was  of  the  same  size  and  color)  sallied 
out  and  was  arrested  in  his  stead  and  taken  to  Carthage. 
The  ruse  worked  so  well  that  it  was  not  discovered  until 
after  their  arrival  at  the  anti-Mormon  headquarters, 
where  "Bill  Miller"  was  recognized,  and  the  wrath  and 
discomfiture  of  his  captors  knew  no  bounds.  The  real 
Brigham  was,  of  course,  by  that  time,  well  out  of  the 
way  and  laughing  at  the  chagrin  of  his  persecutors. 

In  the  meantime,  preparations  were  in  progress  for 
the  exodus.  The  anti-Mormons  were  clamoring  for  the 
removal  of  the  entire  community  of  Latter-day  Saints 
from  the  state,  and  they,  seeing  no  alternative  but  to 
comply  with  this  outrageous  demand,  or  experience  a 
repetition  of  the  murderous  scenes  of  Missouri,  had 
resolved  to  again  sacrifice  their  homes  and  seek  a  land 
of  peace  and  liberty  in  the  wilds  of  the  savage  west. 

Before  coming  to  the  conclusion  to  thus  expatriate 
themselves,  the  Saints,  through  their  leaders,  had  peti- 
tioned the  President  of  the  United  States,  James  K. 
Polk,  and  the  Governors  of  all  the  states  excepting  Mis- 
souri and  Illinois,  for  aid  and  protection  from  the  efforts 
of  those  who  were  plotting  their  destruction.  But  the 
appeal  was  in  vain.  The  Church  leaders  then  entered 
into  negotiations  with  their  enemies,  of  the  nature  of 
which  the  following  document  will  testify : 

"NAUVOO,  ILLINOIS,  Oct.  ist,  1845. 

"  To    Gen.   J.   Hardin,    W.  B.    Warren,  S.  A.  Douglas 

and  y.  A.  McDougal: 

" MESSRS: — In  reply  to  your  letter  of  this  date,  re- 
questing us  'to  submit  the  facts  and  intentions  stated  by 
us  in  writing,  in  order  that  you  may  lay  them  before  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  361 


Governor  and  people  of  the  state,'  we  would  refer  you  to 
our  communication  of  the  24th  ult.  to  the  '  Ouincy  Com- 
mittee,' etc.,  a  copy  of  which  is  herewith  enclosed. 

"In  addition  to  this  we  would  say  that  we  had  com- 
menced making  arrangements  to  remove  from  the  coun- 
try previous  to  the  recent  disturbances ;  that  we  have 
four  companies,  of  one  hundred  families  each,  and  six 
more  companies  now  organizing,  of  the  same  number 
each,  preparatory  to  a  removal. 

"That  one  thousand  families,  including  the  Twelve, 
the  High  Council,  the  trustees  and  general  authorities  of 
the  Church,  are  fully  determined  to  remove  in  the  spring, 
independent  of  the  contingencies  of  selling  our  property; 
and  that  this  company  will  comprise  from  five  to  six 
thousand  souls. 

"That  the  Church,  as  a  body,  desire  to  remove  with 
us,  and  will,  if  sales  can  be  effected  so  as  to  raise  the 
necessary  means. 

"That  the  organization  of  the  Church  we  represent 
is  such  that  there  never  can  exist  but  one  head  or  presi- 
dency at  any  one  time.  And  all  good  members  wish  to 
be  with  the  organization :  and  all  are  determined  to 
remove  to  some  distant  point  where  we  shall  neither 
infringe  nor  be  infringed  upon,  so  soon  as  time  and  means 
will  permit. 

"That  we  have  some  hundreds  of  farms  and  some 
two  thousand  houses  for  sale  in  this  city  and  county,  and 
we  request  all  good  citizens  to  assist  in  the  disposal  of 
our  property. 

"That  we  do  not  expect  to  find  purchasers  for  our 
temple  and  other  public  buildings  ;  but  we  are  willing  to 
rent  them  to  a  respectable  community  who  may  inhabit 
the  city. 

"That  we  wish  it  distinctly  understood  that  although 
we  may  not  find  purchasers  for  our  property,  we  will  not 
sacrifice  it,  nor  give  it  away,  or  suffer  it  illegally  to  be 
wrested  from  us. 

"That  we  do  not  intend  to  sow  any  wheat  this  fall, 
and  should  we  all  sell,  we  shall  not  put  in  any  more  crops 
of  any  description. 


362  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"That  as  soon  as  practicable,  we  will  appoint  com- 
mittees for  this  city,  La  Harpe,  Macedonia,  Bear  Creek 
and  all  necessary  places  in  the  county,  to  give  informa- 
tion to  purchasers. 

"That  if  these  testimonies  are  not  sufficient  to  sat- 
isfy any  people  that  we  are  in  earnest,  we  will  soon  give 
them  a  sign  that  cannot  be  mistaken — WE  WILL  LEAVE 
THEM. 

'Tn  behalf  of  the  Council,  respectfully  yours,   etc., 
(<BRIGHAM  YOUNG,  President, 
"WiLLARD  RICHARDS,  Clerk." 

Agreeable  to  the  terms  of  this  covenant,  which  sat- 
isfied the  commissioners  named,  and  for  a  time  also  sat- 
isfied the  anti-Mormons  whom  they  represented,  the  Saints, 
trusting  in  God,  and  hoping  little  from  their  cruel  and 
inhuman  oppressors,  were  now  preparing  for  the  exodus 
of  the  Church  and  its  pilgrimage  to  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains— an  event  foreseen  and  predicted  by  the  Prophet 
Joseph  in  August,  1842. 


CHAPTER     LI. 

THE    EXODUS HEBKR/S    PROPHECY    FULFILLED EVACUATION 

OF    NAUVOO THE    CAMP    OF     ISRAEL     ON    SUGAR    CREEK 

BRIGHAM    AND      HEBER     LEAD     THE     CHURCH      WEST- 
WARD  ARRIVAL    AT    THE    MISSOURI    RIVER. 

A  SPECTACLE  sublime.  An  exiled  nation,  going 
forth  like  Israel  from  Egypt,  into  the  wilderness,  there  to 
worship,  unmolested,  the  God  of  their  fathers  in  His 
own  appointed  way ;  that  from  their  loins  might  spring  a 
people  nursed  in  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  made  stalwart 
by  tribulation,  that  should  leap  from  the  mountains  in  a 
day  to  come,  and  roll  back,  an  avalanche  of  power,  to 
regain  possession  of  their  promised  land. 

Such  was  the  meaning  of  that  exodus.  The  future 
will  justify  the  action  of  the  past. 

On  Tuesday,  February  i7th,  1846,  Heber  C. 
Kimball  left  Nauvoo,  in  company  with  Bishop  N.  K. 
Whitney,  and,  crossing  the  Mississippi,  joined  the  camp 
of  Israel  on  Sugar  Creek,  with  their  faces  toward  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Heber's  prediction  over  the  fated 
city,  which  had  so  alarmed  Elder  Rigdon  seven  years 
before,  was  being  fulfilled ;  the  evacuation  of  Nauvoo 
and  the  exodus  of  the  Saints  from  Illinois  had  begun. 
President  Young  had  left  the  city  two  days  before, 
Heber,  having  sent  his  family  away  on  the  i6th,  had 
tarried  behind  with  William  Clayton  and  Bishop 
Whitney,  to  secure  and  bring  Church  property  needed 
for  the  pioneers.  Sugar  Creek  was  the  starting  point. 
Here,  for  nearly  two  weeks,  some  of  the  advance  com- 


364  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

panics  had  been  anxiously  awaiting  the  coming  of  their 
leaders. 

At  half-past  one,  Brigham  and  Heber  dined  together 
in  George  D.  Grant's  tent,  on  bean  porridge,  after 
which  frugal  meal,  the  President,  with  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
Orson  Hyde,  Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor,  George  A. 
Smith  and  Willard  Richards  went  up  the  valley  east  of 
the  camp  about  half  a  mile,  and  held  a  council.  A  letter 
was  read  from  Samuel  Brannan,  with  a  copy  of  an 
agreement  between  Elder  Brannan  and  Postmaster- 
General  Benson.  The  matter  concerned  a  proposition 
of  certain  politicians  at  Washington  and  members  of  the 
government  to  the  Mormon  leaders,  to  take  possession 
of  California  and  divide  the  lands  with  them  as  a  great 
"land  grab"  for  these  statesmen,  in  return  for  proffered 
protection  to  the  Mormons.  The  proposition  was  at 
once  rejected. 

On  the  1 8th,  Heber  accompanied  President  Young 
and  several  others  back  to  Nauvoo,  where  many  of  the 
Saints  still  lingered,  most  of  whom  were  getting  ready 
to  join  the  camp  as  soon  as  possible,  while  others,  like 
those  of  earlier  days  in  Kirtland  and  Far  West,  were 
preparing  to  fall  away.  A  number  of  meetings,  public 
and  private,  were  held  in  the  Temple,  at  the  last  one  of 
which,  on  Sunday  the  22nd,  a  panic  was  caused  by  the 
snapping  of  a  piece  of  timber  in  the  settling  of  the  new 
floor  under  the  weight  of  the  multitude.  Several  people 
were  seriously  injured.  The  same  afternoon,  Brigham, 
Heber  and  John  Taylor  returned  to  camp. 

The  companies  were  being  organized  and  made 
ready  to  start.  They  comprised  about  four  hundred 
wagons,  all  heavily  loaded,  with  not  over  half  the  num- 
ber of  teams  necessary  for  a  rapid  journey.  Most  of 
the  families  were  supplied  with  provisions  for  several 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  365 

months  ;  but  a  number,  regardless  of  counsel,  had  started 
in  a  destitute  condition,  and  some  with  only  provisions 
for  a  few  days. 

Colonel  Stephen  Markham  had  about  one  hundred 
pioneers  to  prepare  the  road  in  advance  of  the  main 
body.  Colonel  Hosea  Stout  with  about  one  hundred 
men  acted  as  police,  armed  with  rifles.  Colonel  John 
Scott  with  a  hundred  men  accompanied  the  artillery. 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  March  ist,  the  camp 
was  notified  to  be  ready  to  start  at  noon.  At  half  past 
ten  Heber  went  to  meeting  and  stated  that  President 
Young  was  unwell,  and  further  addressed  the  assembly 
as  follows : 

"It  is  the  President's  will  that  the  camp  should 
remove  to  some  other  location,  because  while  we  are  so 
near  Nauvoo  the  brethren  are  continually  going  back 
and  neglecting  their  teams  and  families,  and  running  to 
Brother  Brigham  about  a  little  property  they  have  here 
or  there.  No  doubt  many  will  be  tried,  but  we  shall  see 
the  kingdom  of  God  established  and  all  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  His 
Christ."  He  encouraged  the  brethren  to  go  forward. 
"The  grass  will  start  before  long.  They  were  not  going 
out  of  the  world.  If  Nauvoo  has  been  the  most  holy 
place,  it  will  be  the  most  wicked  place."  He  then  called 
upon  all  who  meant  to  go  ahead  to  say  aye.  The 
brethren  responded  heartily.  "No  doubt  you  mean  to 
have  President  Young  for  your  leader.  We  will  do  all 
that  he  says  and  everything  will  be  right.  A  plague 
came  upon  Zion's  Camp  for  disobedience  when  on  our 
way  to  Missouri,  and  some  of  our  best  men  fell  victims, 
and  so  it  would  be  again  under  like  circumstances.  I 
want  no  man  to  touch  any  of  my  things  without  my 
leave.  If  any  man  will  come  to  me  and  say  that  he  wants 
to  steal  I  will  give  him  the  amount.  Cease  all  your  loud 
laughter  and  light  speeches,  for  the  Lord  is  displeased 


366  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

with  such  things,  and  call   upon  the  Lord   with  all  your 
might." 

Such  was  Heber's  first  pioneer  address  to  the  Camp 
of  Israel. 

All  tents  were  now  struck,  and  about  noon  the 
camp  began  to  move.  They  traveled  in  a  north-westerly 
direction  about  five  miles,  and  at  night  camped  again  on 
Sugar  Creek.  The  ground  was  covered  with  snow,  but 
by  dint  of  shoveling  and  scraping  space  was  soon  made 
for  the  tents,  and  in  a  short  time  quite  a  primitive  little 
city  had  sprung  up  as  if  by  magic  from  the  frozen  earth. 
Large  fires  were  built  in  front  of  the  tents  and  wagons, 
corraled  in  circular  array  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
plains,  and  all  were  made  as  comfortable  as  possible 
under  the  circumstances. 

Notwithstanding  their  hardships  and  privations,  past, 
present  and  prospective,  a  spirit  of  remarkable  cheerful- 
ness reigned  throughout  the  camp ;  songs  were  sung, 
jokes  passed  and  stories  told,  and,  in  spite  of  the  situa- 
tion and  forbidding  surroundings,  everybody  seemed 
determined  to  "make  the  best  of  it"  and  be  contented 
and  happy.  Doubtless  the  romance  of  the  situation 
helped  to  season  it  and  make  it  palatable ;  but  above  all 
was  it  due  to  the  presence  and  sustaining  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  the  peace  that  "  passeth  understanding," 
which  rested  upon  the  homeless  pilgrims,  causing  them 
to  rejoice,  like  the  Saints  of  old,  in  suffering  tribulation 
for  the  truth's  sake. 

At  a  seasonable  hour  the  merriment  was  hushed. 
Heads  were  bowed  in  reverent  prayer.  The  God  of 
Israel  was  invoked  in  behalf  of  His  cause  and  people ; 
these  whose  home  from  henceforth  was  the  houseless 
plain  and  prairie,  and  the  remnant  left  behind  to  the 
mercies  of  the  mob  in  the  doomed  city  of  Nauvoo. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  367 

Guards  were  then  placed,  the  flickering  firelight  waned 
and  died  in  the  wintry  stillness,  and  the  Camp  of  Israel, 
all  save  the  watchful  sentries,  slept. 

Near  the  Chariton  River,  on  the  27th  of  March,  the 
organization  of  the  camp  was  perfected.  It  was  divided 
into  companies  of  "hundreds,"  "fifties"  and  "tens,"  with 
captains  appointed  over  each.  The  Apostles  were  placed 
at  the  heads  of  divisions,  as  presidents.  Commissaries 
were  also  appointed  for  each  company,  with  a  Commis- 
sary General.  The  camp  consisted  of  two  grand  divi- 
sions, presided  over  respectively  by  Brigham  Young  and 
Heber  C.  Kimball ;  the  former,  as  President  and  Gen- 
eral-in-Chief, directing  the  whole.  Occasionally  the 
President  would  return  and  gather  a  council  of  the  cap- 
tains and  Apostles  at  Heber's  encampment,  and  at  other 
times  Heber  would  go  over  with  his  captains  to  Brigham's 
camp,  for  the  same  purpose. 

The  law  of  the  Lord  was  laid  down  in  great  strict- 
ness, honesty  and  morality  being  especially  enjoined. 
Innocent  amusement  and  recreation  were  encouraged  by 
the  leaders,  in  moderation,  as  tending  to  divert  the  peo- 
ple's minds  from  their  past  troubles,  and  lighten  their 
present  toils,  but  excess  of  mirth  and  loud  laughter  were 
deprecated  and  denounced.  The  Church  had  again  been 
cleansed  of  much  of  its  dross,  by  leaving  it  behind,  and 
in  the  main  it  was  a  faithful  and  a  pure  people  that  jour- 
neyed westward  to  find  another  promised  land. 

The  vanguard  under  Brigham  and  Heber  reached 
the  Missouri  River  about  the  middle  of  June,  and 
received  a  friendly  welcome  from  the  Pottowatomie  and 
Omaha  Indians. 


CHAPTER  LIL 

DESTINATION  OF    THE    SAINTS THE  CALL    FOR    THE  MORMON 

BATTALION HEROIC    RESPONSE    OF    THE    EXILES BRIG- 
HAM,   HEBER  AND    WILLARD  AS    RECRUITING    SERGEANTS 

-DEPARTURE     OF      THE     BATTALION THE     CAMP      OF 

ISRAEL    GOES    INTO    WINTER    QUARTERS THE    FALL   OF 

NAUVOO. 

Where  now  shall  fancy's  roving  pinion  rest? 
'Mid  barren  regions  of  the  boundless  West, 
Where  silvery  streams  through  silent  valleys  flow 
From  mountains  crested  with  eternal  snow ; 
Where  reigns  no  creed  its  rival  creed  to  bind, 
Where  exiled  faith  a  resting-place  shall  find, 
Where  builds  the  eagle  on  the  beetling  height 
And  wings  o'er  freedom's  hills  unfearing  flight. 

THE  point  in  view  of  the  leaders  of  Israel  was  the 
Valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  a  portion  of  Mexican 
territory  located  in  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  American  desert.  Discouraging  as 
were  all  reports  relating  to  this  barren  and  inhospitable 
region,  a  thousand  miles  farther  on  over  trackless  plains 
and  bleak  mountains  swarming  with  wild  beasts  and 

o 

savages,  these  intrepid  men  resolved  to  go  forward, 
trusting  in  God  and  braving  every  peril.  At  least  it  was 
a  land  of  liberty,  uninfested  by  mobs  and  heartless 
priests  and  politicians,  and  with  the  wintry  sky  above, 
and  the  frozen  earth  beneath,  or  in  summer  the  burning 
rocks  and  waterless  wastes  around  them,  they  felt  safer 
far  in  the  society  of  wild  Indians  and  savage  wolves,  than 
in  the  midst  of  the  Christian  civilization  they  had  left 
behind. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  369 

Far  from  the  realms  where  civilization  reigns, 
Where  Freedom's  bastards  bind  her  sons  in  chains, 
They  sought  a  home  within  the  western  wild, 
And  fraternized  the  forest's  dusky  child; 
No  fiercer  found,  less  savage  in  the  test, 
Than  priestly  tyrants  trampling  the  oppressed. 

Journeying  towards  the  Missouri  river  they  founded 
temporary  settlements,  or  "traveling  stakes  of  Zion," 
recruiting  their  strength  with  needed  rest  along  the 
way,  and  putting  in  crops  for  their  own  use  or  for  their 
brethren  to  reap  who  came  after  them.  Two  of  these 
settlements  were  named  Garden  Grove  and  Mt.  Pisgah, 
the  latter  over  a  hundred  miles  in  the  rear  of  the  van- 
guard now  resting  on  the  Missouri  river. 

It  was  the  design  of  the  leaders  to  leave  the  main 
body  of  the  people  in  these  places,  while  they,  with  a 
picked  band  of  pioneers,  hastened  on  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  that  season.  But  an  incident  now  occurred 
which  changed  their  plans  and  delayed  the  departure  of 
the  pioneers  until  the  following  spring. 

Word  was  brought  to  head-quarters  on  the  Missouri, 
that  a  United  States  army  officer  with  a  s'quad  of  soldiers 
had  arrived  at  Mt.  Pisgah,  with  a  requisition  for  five 
hundred  men,  to  be  furnished  by  the  Mormons,  to  enter 
the  army  and  march  to  California  to  take  part  in  the  war 
against  Mexico, 

Imagination  can  alone  picture  the  surprise,  almost 
dismay,  with  which  this  startling  news  was  received, 
What !  the  nation  whose  people  had  thrust  them  from  its 
borders,  robbed  them  of  their  homes  and  driven  them 
into  the  wilderness,  where  it  was  hoped  they  might  per- 
ish, now  calling  upon  them  for  aid  ?  And  this  in  full 
face  of  the  fact  that  their  own  oft  reiterated  appeals  for 
help  had  been  denied? 

24 


370  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

It  was  even  so ;  five  hundred  able-bodied  men,  the 
flower  of  the  camp,  were  wanted.  And  this  in  the 
heart  of  an  Indian  country,  in  the  midst  of  an  exodus 
unparalleled  for  its  dangers  and  hardships,  when  every 
active  man  was  needed  as  a  bulwark  of  defense  and  a 
staff  for  the  aged  and  feeble.  For  even  delicate  women, 
thus  far,  had  in  some  instances  been  driving  teams  and 
tending  stock,  owing  to  the  limited  number  of  men 
available. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  their  country  calling, 
and  these  sons  and  daughters  of  the  pilgrims  and 
patriots  loved  their  country,  loved  its  institutions  and 
its  laws,  though  the  government  of  that  country,  in 
the  hands  of  self-seeking  demagogues  and  politicians, 
had  been  as  a  cruel  step-mother  rather  than  a  tender 
parent  to  them. 

What  was  to  be  done?  What  would  the  leaders 
decide  to  do?  Such  were  the  questions  that  flew  like 
lightning  through  the  camp,  as  these  thoughts  came 
rushing  to  mind.  They  were  not  left  long  unanswered. 

On  the  ist^of  July,  Capt.  James  Allen,  the  recruiting 
officer,  acting  under  orders  of  Col.  S.  F.  Kearney  at  Fort 
Leaven  worth,  having  arrived  at  "The  Bluffs,"  went  into 
council  with  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Orson 
Hyde,  Orson  Pratt,  Willard  Richards,  George  A.  Smith, 
John  Taylor,  John  Smith  and  Levi  Richards.  Wilford 
Woodruff  was  at  Mount  Pisgah,  where  he  had  received 
Captain  Allen  and  his  party  a  few  days  before.  The 
brethren  were  assured  that  the  offer  to  accept  the  ser- 
vices of  a  battalion  of  Mormon  soldiers  in  the  Mexican 
war,  was  made  by  the  government  in  kindness,  and 
meant  as  a  means  of  assistance  to  the  community, 
whose  young  and  intelligent  men  might  thus  proceed, 
at  the  government's  expense,  to  the  ultimate  destination 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  371 

of  their  whole  people,  and  look  out  the  land  and  pre- 
pare the  way  for  their  brethren  who  came  after  them. 
This  was  the  object,  it  was  said,  quite  as  much  as  to 
enlist  their  services  in  their  country's  cause. 

Whether  convinced  or  not  that  such  was  the  case,  the 
result  of  the  council's  deliberations  was  a  resolve  to  raise 
the  troops.  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball  and 
Willard  Richards,  in  the  role  of  recruiting  sergeants,  at 
once  set  out  for  Mt.  Pisgah,  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  miles,  to  execute  the  order  for  the  Battalion. 
Colonel  Thomas  L.  Kane,  that  noble  friend  of  the  Mor- 
mon people,  who  had  arrived  at  the  Bluffs,  thus  summar- 
izes the  result:  "A  central  mass  meeting  for  council, 
some  harangues  at  the  more  remotely  scattered  camps, 
an  American  flag  brought  out  from  the  storehouse  of 
things  rescued,  and  hoisted  to  the  top  of  a  tree-mast,  and, 
in  three  days,  the  force  was  reported,  mustered,  organ- 
ized and  ready  to  march." 

The  Mormon  Battalion  set  out  for  the  west  about 
the  middle  of  luly. 

The  project  of  the  Pioneers,  of  going  to  the  mount- 
ains that  season,  was  now  of  course  abandoned,  and  the 
Camp  of  Israel  prepared  to  go  into  "Winter  Quarters." 
This  was  the  name  given  to  their  settlement  on  the  Mis- 
souri, the  principal  part  of  which  was  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  five  miles  above  Omaha  of  to-day.  It  is  now 
known  as  Florence.  Seven  hundred  houses  of  log,  turf 
and  other  primitive  materials,  neatly  arranged  and  laid 
out  with  streets  and  byways ;  well  supplied  with  work- 
shops, mills  and  factories,  and  with  a  tabernacle  of  wor- 
ship in  the  midst ;  the  whole  arising  from  a  pretty  plateau 
overlooking  the  river,  and  well  fortified  with  breast-work, 
stockade  and  block-houses,  after  the  fashion  of  the  fron- 
tier ; — such  was  Winter  Quarters,  the  principal  one  of 


372  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

these  so-called  "traveling  stakes  of  Zion."  Here,  in 
these  humble,  prairie  settlements,  surrounded  by  Indians, 
whose  savage  hearts  God  had  wondrously  softened  into 
sympathy  and  friendship  for  His  exiled  people,  the  Camp 
of  Israel,  the  residue  of  twenty  thousand  souls,  which 
the  Saints  had  numbered  in  Illinois,  passed  the  winter  of 
1846. 

Meanwhile,  in  September  of  that  year,  the  remnant 
left  in  Nauvoo,  between  six  and  seven  hundred  souls, 
after  a  gallant  defense  of  their  city  against  the  mob, 
which,  in  violation  of  every  treaty,  came  upon  them  in 
overwhelming  numbers,  were  driven  from  their  homes  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  thrown,  men,  women  and 
children,  sick,  dying  and  shelterless,  upon  the  western 
shores  of  the  Mississippi.  And  this — shades  of  the 
patriots ! — while  their  brethren,  the  heroes  of  the  Mor- 
mon Battalion,  were  marching  to  fight  their  country's 
battles  on  the -plains  of  Mexico! 


CHAPTER    LIIL 

THE  WORD  AND  WILL    OF    THE    LORD    CONCERNING  THE  CAMP 

OF     ISRAEL THE     PIONEERS     START     FOR     THE     ROCKY 

MOUNTAINS NAMES     OF     THE     HEROES INCIDENTS    OF 

THE  JOURNEY  WEST. 

THE  "Word  and  Will  of  the  Lord  concerning  the 
Camp  of  Israel  in  their  journeyings  to  the  West,"  was 
given  through  President  Brigham  Young  at  Winter 
Quarters  on  the  i4th  of  January,  1847.  It  was  the  first 
written  revelation  sent  out  to  the  Church  since  the  death 
of  the  Prophet  Joseph.  Agreeable  to  its  instructions, 
the  Saints  began  to  prepare  for  their  journey  to  the 
mountains. 

Early  in  April  the  pioneers  started  from  Winter 
Quarters.  This  famous  band  numbered  one  hundred  and 
forty-eight  souls,  including  three  women  and  two  chil- 
dren. The  personnel  of  the  company  as  it  left  the  Mis- 
souri River,  was  as  follows : 

1  Brigham  Young.  14  George  Wardel. 

2  Heber  C.  Kimball.  15  Thomas  Grover. 

3  Orson  Pratt.  16  Barnabas  L.  Adams. 

4  Wilford  Woodruff.  17  Rosvvell  Stevens. 

5  George  A.  Smith.  18  Starling  Driggs. 

6  Willard  Richards.  19  Albert  Carrington. 

7  Amasa  Lyman.  20  Thomas  Bullock. 

8  Ezra  T.  Benson.  21  George  Brown. 

9  John  S.  Fowler.  22  Jesse  C.  Little. 

10  Jacob  D.  Burnham.  23  Phineas  H.  Young. 

11  Joseph  Egbert.  24  John  Y.  Greene. 

12  John  M.  Freeman.  25  Thomas  Tanner. 

13  Marcus  B.  Thorpe.  26  Addison  Everett. 


374 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 


27  Truman  O.  Angell. 

28  Lorenzo  D.  Young. 

29  Briant  Stringham. 

30  Albert  P.  Rockwood. 

31  Joseph  S.  Schofield. 

32  Luke  Johnson. 

33  John  G.  Holman. 

34  Edmund  Ellsworth. 

35  Sidney  Alvarus  Hanks. 

36  George  R.  Grant. 

37  Millen  Atwood. 
28  Samuel  Fox. 

O 

39  Tunis  Reppelyee. 

40  Eli  Harvey  Pierce. 

41  William  Dykes. 

42  Jacob  Weiler. 

43  Stephen  H.  Goddard. 

44  Tarlton  Lewis. 

45  Henry  G.  Sherwood. 

46  Zebedee  Coltrin. 

47  Sylvester  H.  Earl. 

48  John  Dixon. 

49  Samuel  H.  Marble. 

50  George  Scholes. 

51  William  Henrie. 

52  William  A.  Empey. 

53  Charles  Shumway. 

54  Andrew  P.  Shumway. 

55  Thomas  Woolsey. 

56  Chancy  Loveland. 

57  Erastus  Snow. 

58  James  Craig. 

59  William  Wordsworth. 

60  William  P.  Vance. 

6 1  Simeon  Heyd. 

62  Seely  Owen. 

63  James  Case. 

64  Artemas  Johnson. 

65  William  C.  A.  Smoot. 

66  Benjamin  Franklin  Dewey. 


67  William  Carter. 

68  John  G.  Losee. 

69  Burr  Frost. 

70  Datus  Ensign. 

7 1  Benjamin  Franklin  Stewart. 

72  Horace  Monroe  Frink. 

73  Eric  Glines. 

74  Ozro  Eastman. 

75  Seth  Taft. 

76  Horace  M.  Thornton. 

77  Stephen  Kelsey. 

78  John  S.  Eldredge. 

79  Charles  D.  Barnham. 

80  Almon  L.  Williams. 

8 1  Rufus  Allen. 

82  Robert  T.  Thomas. 

83  James  W.  Stewart. 

84  Elijah  Newman. 

85  Levi  N.  Kendall. 

86  Francis  Boggs. 

87  David  Grant. 

88  Howard  Egan. 

89  William  A.  King. 

90  Thomas  P.  Cloward. 

91  Hosea  Gushing. 

92  Robert  Byard. 

93  George  P.  Billings. 

94  Edson  Whipple. 

95  Philo  Johnson. 

96  Carlos  Murray. 

97  Appleton  M.  Harmon. 

98  Willam  Clayton. 

99  Horace  K.  Whitney. 

100  Orson  K.  Whitney. 

101  Orrin  Porter  Rockwell. 

102  Nathaniel  Thomas  Brown. 

103  Jackson  Reddin. 

104  John  Pack. 

105  Francis  M.  Pomeroy. 

1 06  Aaron  Farr. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 


375 


107  Nathaniel  Fairbanks. 

108  John  S.  Higbee. 

109  John  Wheeler. 

no     Solomon  Chamberlin. 
in     Conrad  Klineman. 

1 1 2  Joseph  Rooker. 

113  Perry  Fitzgerald. 

114  John  H.  Tippitts. 

115  James  Davenport. 

116  Henson  Walker. 

117  Benjamin  W.  Rolfe. 

118  Norton  Jacobs. 

119  Charles  A.  Harper. 

120  George  Woodard. 
Stephen  Markham. 
Lewis  Barney. 
George  Mills. 
Andrew  S.  Gibbons. 


126 
127 
128 
129 
130 


132 

133 
134 

135 

136 

137 


John  W.  Norton. 
Shadrach  Roundy. 
Hans  C.  Hanson. 
Levi  Jackman. 
Lyman  Curtis. 
John  Brown. 
Matthew  Ivory. 
David  Powell. 
Hark  Lark  (colored). 
Oscar  Crosby  (colored). 
Joseph  Matthews. 
Gilburd  Sum  me. 


138     John  Gleason. 


121 
122 
123 
124 


139  Charles  Burke. 

140  Alexander  P.  Chessley. 

141  Rodney  Badger. 

142  Norman  Taylor. 

143  Green  Flake  (colored). 
125     Joseph  Hancock. 

The  above  names,  with  the  exception  of  the  first 
eight  (the  Apostles)  are  given  in  their  order,  as  divided 
into  companies  of  tens. 

The  three  women  who  accompanied  the  pioneers 
were  Ellen  Sanders,  one  of  the  wives  of  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball ;  Clara  Decker,  a  wife  of  Brigham  Young;  and  Har- 
riet P.  Young,  her  mother,  wife  of  Lorenzo  D.  Young. 
The  children  were  Sobieski  Young,  son  of  Lorenzo,  and 
Perry  Decker,  own  brother  to  Clara  Decker  Young. 

President  Brigham  Young  was  the  leader  of  the 
company,  which,  as  seen,  numbered  among  its  members 
seven  others  of  the  Twelve.  Apostles  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
Orson  Hyde  and  John  Taylor  were  absent  on  missions. 

The  object  of  the  pioneers,  as  shown,  was  to  explore 
the  region  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  if  possible  find  a 
home  for  the  Saints  in  the  midst  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains. A  few  leaves  from  Heber's  pioneer  journal  will 
now  be  interesting.  He  writes: 


376  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"On  the  5th  day  of  April,  1847,  I  started  with  six 
of  my  teams  and  went  out  about  four  miles,  where  I 
formed  an  encampment  with  several  others  of  my  divis- 
ion. The  same  day  I  returned  home  and  remained  in 
Winter  Quarters  during  the  conference  on  the  6th.  On 
the  7th  and  8th  I  was  still  making  preparations  for  my 
journey,  and  called  my  family  together  and  spent  some 
time  in  giving  them  instructions,  blessing  them  and  dedi- 
cating and  consecrating  them  to  the  Most  High  God." 

Horace  K.  Whitney,  one  of  the  pioneers  and 
Heber's  son-in-law,  who  was  present  at  this  family  meet- 
ing, in  his  own  journal  says : 

"Brother  Kimball  expressed  his  feelings  at  length. 
He  said  that  any  person  who  attempted  to  come  into  his 
family  and  sow  discord  among  them,  and  promote  dis- 
union, and  strive  to  alienate  their  minds  from  him  in  his 
absence,  would  be  cursed.  '  Don't  you  think  so,  Brother 
Whitney?'  addressing  my  father.  Father  replied,  'Yes.' 
He  further  observed  that  there  was  not  that  person  liv- 
ing in  the  world  in  whom  he  placed  more  confidence  than 
he  did  in  Bishop  Whitney,  and  that  there  was  no  person 
in  the  world  who  would  have  so  much  influence  in  his 
(Brother  K's.)  absence  as  Bishop  Whitney,  and  he  rec- 
ommended him  to  them  as  a  worthy,  good  and  exemplary 
man,  to  counsel  them  in  his  absence.  He  told  his  wife 
Vilate  that  if  any  person  should  presume  to  come  into 
his  house  and  speak  against  him,  or  any  member  of  his 
family,  while  he  was  gone,  to  arise  and  command  them 
to  leave  the  house,  in  the  name  of  Heber  C.  Kimball T 

"On  the  8th,"  continues  Heber,  "Brother  Parley  P. 
Pratt  arrived  in  Winter  Quarters,  having  returned  from 
his  mission  to  England.  Those  of  the  Twelve  who  had 
departed,  hearing  of  his  arrival,  returned,  and  in  the 
evening  we  held  a  council  at  Dr.  Richard's  office;  and  it 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  377 

was  a  time  of  rejoicing  with  us  to  behold  our  beloved 
brother  and  companion  in  tribulation.  He  gave  us  a  his- 
tory of  his  mission,  and  of  the  success,  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Saints  in  England.  They  had  annihilated 
the  Joint  Stock  Company,  cut  Reuben  Hedlock  and 
Ward  off  from  the  Church,  who  were  the  instigators  of 
it,  being  the  men  we  had  left  to  preside  there,  and  who 
had  called  the  Elders  of  Israel  from  their  duties  of 
preaching  life  and  salvation,  and  set  them  to  preaching 
up  joint-stockism  to  get'gain.  Now  things  have  changed, 
and  the  Elders  are  all  preaching  the  everlasting  Gospel, 
and  an  entire  reformation  has  commenced,  and  may  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel  roll  it  forth  until  Israel  shall  be 
saved ! 

"On  the  9th  the  Twelve  started  again  on  their  jour- 
ney. My  son  William  carried  out  President  Young, 
Bishop  Whitney  (who  was  going  with  us  a  few  miles) 
and  myself  in  my  carriage.  The  whole  camp,  after  our 
arrival,  started  out  and  went  to  within  four  miles  of  Pap- 
pea,  being  about  fourteen  miles  from  Winter  Quarters, 
and  camped  for  the  night.  I  lodged  in  the  wagon  with 
President  Young,  as  he  had  fitted  up  a  wagon  for  him 
and  me  to  lodge  together  through  the  journey. 

'Tn  the  course  of  the  evening  Bishop  Whitney  and 
myself  went  some  distance  upon  the  prairie,  where  we 
bowed  down  before  the  Lord  and  both  offered  up  our 
prayers  to  the  Most  High  God  in  behalf  of  the  pioneers 
and  the  Twelve,  that  they  might  be  protected  and  upheld 
and  sustained  by  the  Almighty;  that  His  angels  might  go 
before  them  to  lead  them  to  a  land  which  the  Lord  should 
designate  to  be  a  resting  place  for  His  people  Israel; 
also  in  behalf  of  our  families,  our  wives  and  children, 
and  all  Israel  that  are  left  behind. 

11  In   the  forenoon   of  Sunday,  the  nth,  we   arrived 


378  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

at  the  Elk  Horn,  which  we  crossed  by  means  of  a  raft 
that  had  been  constructed  by  some  of  the  first  pioneers 
that  went  on,  at  a  point  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of 
its  junction  with  the  Platte.  Seventy-two  wagons 
crossed  the  'Horn,'  three  of  which  afterwards  returned 
to  Winter  Quarters,  leaving  the  others  to  go  on  with  the 
pioneers.  It  was  not  our  intention  to  have  encroached 
on  the  Sabbath,  but  the  camp  were  in  a  disordered  state, 
some  being  on  one  side  of  the  'Horn,'  and  some  on  the 
other,  and  it  was  thought  Visdom  to  get  them 
together,  lest  they  should  be  attacked  by  Indians  and  be 
unprepared  for  defense." 

Leaving  the  Camp  to  pursue  its  journey  towards  the 
Platte  river,  the  Apostles  with  Bishop  Whitney  now 
returned  to  Winter  Quarters  to  greet  Elder  John  Taylor, 
who  had  just  arrived  from  Europe,  bringing  with  him 
over  two  thousand  dollars  for  the  Church.  From  him 
they  learned  that  Elder  Orson  Hyde  was  also  on  his 
way  west.  On  the  i5th,  Heber,  Brigham  and  others 
rejoined  the  Pioneers  beyond  the  Elk  Horn. 

The  camp  was  now  organized  as  a  military  body, 
into  companies  of  hundreds,  fifties  and  tens,  agreeable 
to  "the  word  and  will  of  the  Lord,"  with  the  following  as 
officers : 

Brigham  Young,  Lieutenant-General ;  Stephen  Mark- 
ham,  Colonel ;  John  Pack  and  Shadrach  Roundy,  Majors  ; 
Captains  of  companies,  Wilford  Woodruff,  Ezra  T. 
Benson,  Phineas  H.  Young,  Luke  Johnson,  Stephen  H. 
Goddard,  Charles  Shumway,  James  Case,  Seth  Taft, 
Howard  Egan,  Appleton  M.  Harmon,  John  Higbee, 
Norton  Jacobs,  John  Brown,  and  Joseph  Matthews. 
Thomas  Bullock  was  appointed  clerk,  and  Thomas 
Tanner  captain  of  artillery.  The  "artillery"  consisted 
of  one  cannon  mounted  on  a  pair  of  wheels,  and  taken 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  379 

along  to  frighten  hostile  Indians  into  a  due  regard  for  the 
rights  of  the  pioneers,  or  to  perform  more  serious  execu- 
tion if  found  necessary. 

General  Young  instructed  the  camp  as  follows : 
The  men  were  to  travel  in  a  compact  body,  every  man 
to  keep  his  loaded  gun  in  his  hand,  or,  if  a  teamster,  in 
his  wagon,  ready  for  instant  use ;  every  man  to  walk  by 
the  side  of  his  wagon  unless  sent  by  the  officer  in  com- 
mand, and  the  wagons  to  be  formed  two  abreast,  where 
practicable,  on  the  march.  At  the  call  of  the  bugle,  at 
five  A.  M.,  the  pioneers  were  to  arise,  assemble  for 
prayers,  get  breakfast,  and  be  ready  to  start  at  the  second 
call  of  the  bugle  at  seven.  At  night,  at  half  past  eight, 
at  the  command  from  the  bugle,  each  was  to  retire  for 
prayer  in  his  own  wagon,  and  to  bed  at  nine  o'clock. 
Tents  were  to  be  pitched  on  Saturday  nights,  and  the 
Sabbath  kept. 

Thus  organized  and  equipped,  the  pioneers  pro- 
ceeded on  their  way,  traveling  up  the  north  bank  of  the 
Platte.  Towards  the  latter  end  of  April  they  found 
themselves  in  the  heart  of  the  Pawnee  Indian  country. 

"At  one  o'clock  p.  m.  of  April  2ist,"  says  Heber, 
"we  stopped  to  feed  beside  a  long  narrow  lake, 
close  by  the  river.  As  soon  as  the  wagons  were  formed 
in  a  semi-circle  on  the  banks  of  the  lake,  a  guard 
was  placed  to  watch  the  Indians  and  take  care  of  our 
teams.  Many  of  the  Indians  had  forded  the  river  and 
followed  us  to  where  we  stopped,  among  the  number  the 
grand  chief  of  the  Pawnee  nation,  'Shefmolun.'  He 
presented  several  certificates  signed  by  travelers  who 
had  previously  passed  through  the  Pawnee  country,  all 
setting  forth  that  the  Pawnee  chief  was  friendly  and  that 
they  had  made  him  presents  of  a  little  flour,  powder, 
lead,  etc.  His  object  appeared  to  be  to  obtain  some- 


380  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

thing  from  the  camp.  I  made  him  a  present  of  some 
salt,  some  tobacco,  etc,  and  President  Young  also  gave 
him  some  powder,  lead,  salt  and  other  articles.  Many 
of  the  brethren  also  contributed  a  little  flour,  etc.  But 
with  all  this  the  old  chief  did  not  appear  satisfied.  He 
seemed  to  intimate  that  he  expected  larger  presents  from 
such  a  large  company,  and  also  said  he  did  not  like  us  to 
travel  through  their  country,  he  was  afraid  we  would 
kill  their  buffalo  and  drive  them  off.  This  was  inter- 
preted by  a  young  man  of  the  tribe  who  could  talk  a 
little  English.  There  was  not  the  least  appearance  of 
hostility,  but,  on  the  contrary,  all  who  came  appeared 
friendly,  and  pleased  to  shake  hands  with  us.  Brother 
Shumway  says  there  are  about  twelve  thousand  of  the 
Pawnees  in  this  neighborhood,  and  it  is  reported  there 
are  as  many  as  five  thousand  warriors  among  them.  We 
have  no  fears,  however,  because  their  only  object 
appears  to  be  to  plunder,  and  it  is  the  calculation  of  the 
brethren  to  be  on  the  alert  and  well  prepared  by  night 
and  by  day. 

"We  continued  our  journey  till  half  past  five,  and 
then  formed  the  encampment  on  the  banks  of  the  Loup 
Fork  of  the  Platte  river.  The  brethren  were  called 
together  and  addressed  by  President  Young  in  reference 
to  what  passed  at  the  Pawnee  village,  their  apparent 
dissatisfaction,  etc.,  and  he  recommended  that  we  have  a 
strong  guard  over  our  horses  and  around  the  camp 
through  the  night.  He  then  called  for  volunteers  to 
stand  guard,  and  about  one  hundred  responded,  and  in 
the  number  nearly  all  the  Twelve.  President  Young  and 
myself  both  volunteered  and  stood  the  first  part  of  the 
night,  till  one  o'clock.  It  was  very  cold  indeed,  and 
about  the  middle  of  the  night  it  rained  again. 

"Thursday,    22nd.      Morning    fine    but    cool.     We 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.   KIMBALL.  381 

have  not  been  troubled  by  the  Indians,  and  all  is  peace 
and  quiet  around  the  camp.  The  cannon  was  unlim- 
bered  last  night  and  placed  outside  the  wagons,  ready 
for  action  in  case  of  necessity.  There  were  some  merry 
jokes  passed  this  morning  on  account  of  two  of  the 
picket  guard  losing  their  guns,  and  Colonel  Markham 
losing  his  hat,  during  the  night.  It  is  reported  that  they 
were  found  asleep  on  their  posts,  and  those  who  found 
them  took  their  guns,  etc.,  to  stir  up  their  minds  by  way 
of  remembrance  and  to  show  what  the  Indians  might  do 
while  they  were  sleeping  on  guard.  It  is  easy  to  sup- 
pose that  after  the  brethren  have  traveled  twenty  miles 
in  the  day,  taken  care  of  their  teams,  made  fires  and 
cooked  their  victuals,  and  stood  guard  night  after  night, 
that  it  will  require  some  energy  to  keep  themselves 
awake." 

The  Loup  Fork  was  crossed  with  difficulty  and  con- 
siderable danger,  owing  to  the  quicksands.  Heber  and 
others  leaped  into  the  stream,  at  one  time,  to  prevent 
some  of  the  wagons  being  overturned.  A  couple  of 
rafts  were  built,  and  the  sands  packing  down  more 
firmly  as  the  horses  continued  fording,  the  passage  was 
finally  effected  without  accident  or  loss.  During  the 
next  few  days,  however,  several  valuable  horses  were 
lost,  two  of  them  being  killed  by  the  accidental  discharge 
of  guns,  and  the  others  stolen  by  Indians. 

Several  of  the  brethren  were  shot  at  by  Indians, 
while  out  hunting  for  the  stolen  animals. 

The  camp  was  quite  complete  in  its  equipment, 
industrial,  military,  literary  and  otherwise.  Ever  and 
anon,  as  often  as  the  wagons  needed  repairs,  Burr  Frost 
the  blacksmith  and  his  assistants  would  put  up  their  por- 
table forge  and  reset  the  tires  of  wheels,  etc.  William 
Clayton  and  Willard  Richards,  scribes  and  historians, 


382  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

invented  a  machine  to  measure  the  distance.  This  was 
done  by  driving  a  nail  into  one  of  the  spokes  of  a  wagon 
wheel,  which  at  every  revolution  was  made  to  strike 
upon  a  saw  projecting  from  the  wagon.  The  circumfer- 
ence of  the  wheel  being  known,  the  number  of  its  revo- 
lutions indicated  the  distance. 

The  country  through  which  they  were  passing  is 
thus  described:  "The  country  is  beautiful  and  pleasing 
to  the  eye  of  the  traveler,  notwithstanding  there  is  only 
the  same  kind  of  scenery  from  day  to  day,  namely,  on 
the  left  the  majestic  Platte,  with  its  muddy  waters  roll- 
ing over  the  universal  beds  of  quicksands,  the  river  fre- 
quently hid  from  view  by  the  many  handsome  cotton- 
wood  groves ;  before  and  behind,  on  the  right  and  left, 
a  vast  level  prairie,  and  on  the  right  at  a  distance  the 
continued  range  of  majestic  bluffs.  There  is  a  loveli- 
ness and  beauty  connected  with  the  scenery  from  day  to 
day,  but  the  country  is  not  at  all  calculated  for  farming 
purposes,  not  only  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of  timber, 
but  also  on  account  of  the  sandy  nature  of  the  whole 
surface  of  land." 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

ARRIVAL    AT    GRAND    ISLAND THE     PIONEER    BUFFALO    HUNT 

HEBER     KILLS     HIS      FIRST      BISON THE      SPIRIT      OF 

LEVITY  REBUKED THE   PIONEERS  REACH  FORT  LARAMIE. 

ABOUT  the  ist  of  May  the  Pioneers  reached  Grand 
Island.  Here  the  prairies  swarmed  with  buffalo,  in  herds 
of  tens  of  thousands.  A  grand  hunt  was  indulged  in 
by  the  brethren,  most  of  whom  had  never  seen  a  buffalo 
before,  and  after  much  exciting  sport,  ten  of  the  animals 
were  killed  and  brought  to  camp.  The  following  sketch, 
descriptive  of  this,  the  first  buffalo  hunt  of  the  Pioneers, 
is  from  the  graphic  pen  of  Horace  K.  Whitney: 

"Some  time  before  we  arrived  here,  we  saw  through 
a  spy-glass  three  buffalo  grazing  on  the  top  of  the  bluff 
to  our  right,  some  five  or  six  miles.  Two  or  three  foot- 
men went  out  in  pursuit,  also  three  horsemen,  viz., 
Porter  Rockwell,  Thomas  Brown  and  Luke  Johnson. 
Just  before  we  arrived  here  we  saw  a  large  herd  some 
distance  in  advance  of  us,  also  about  five  or  six  miles 
to  our  right.  Brother  O.  Pratt  counted  seventy-four  by 
the  aid  of  his  spy-glass.  They  are  now  quite  visible 
from  our  present  stopping  place.  It  is  about  fifty  yards 
across  the  channel  to  Grand  Island  at  this  place.  We 
traveled  about  four  miles  and  crossed  a  slough  or  pond, 
which  '  puts  up '  from  the  river,  about  noon.  Soon  after, 
Porter,  T.  Brown  and  Luke  Johnson  returned.  They 
had  wounded,  as  they  supposed  mortally,  two  buffaloes, 
which,  however,  managed  to  get  away  from  them.  About 
one  o'clock  p.m.,  we  descried,  at  the  distance  of  five  or 
six  miles  to  our  right,  on  the  side  of  the  hill  or  bluff,  two 
or  three  herds  of  buffalo  grazing.  An  immediate  halt 
was  made.  A  band  of  ten  or  twelve  horsemen  (hunters) 


384  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

speedily  collected  and  made  arrangements  for  the  chase. 
They  soon  got  ready  and  started.  Brother  Heber  soon 
followed.  The  wagons  traveled  along  slowly,  being  in 
full  view  of  the  chase.  The  horsemen  took  a  circuitous 
route,  in  order  to  head  the  herd,  but  were  prevented 
from  doing  so  immediately  by  an  unforeseen  occurrence. 
An  antelope  passing  by  near  us  was  shot  at  by  one  of 
the  brethren  (a  footman)  but  the  shot  did  not  take  effect. 
Directly  the  animal  made  towards  the  bluff,  seeing  which, 
two  dogs  went  off  in  full  chase.  The  three  went  right 
among  the  buffaloes  which,  alarmed  at  the  appearance 
of  the  dogs,  began  to  move  off.  Soon  after,  the  horse- 
men made  their  appearance  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill. 
"Now  commenced  a  scene  which  defies  all  descrip- 
tion. Every  spy-glass  that  could  be  found  in  the  camp 
was  put  into  immediate  requisition,  and  the  scene  became 
one  of  intense  interest  to  us  all,  as  spectators.  As  soon 
as  the  buffaloes  discovered  the  approach  of  the  hunters, 
they  increased  their  speed  (which  before  had  been  slow) 
to  a  full  gallop,  and,  passing  along  the  side  of  the  hill 
were  followed  by  the  hunters  in  quick  and  hot  pursuit, 
leaving  a  cloud  of  dust  in  their  rear.  Most  of  the 
hunters,  by  riding  in  among  them,  succeeded  in  getting 
a  fair  shot,  although  they  did  not  all  prove  fatal,  a  num- 
ber of  the  herd  making  their  escape  that  were  shot 
through  the  body.  Brother  Heber  rode  in  among  them, 
made  a  shot  at  one  and  brought  him  down.  His  horse, 
partly  alarmed  at  the  discharge  of  the  gun,  and  partly  at 
the  sight  of  the  animals,  suddenly  started  and  came  very 
near  throwing  him.  Porter  rode  up  to  one  (by  way  of 
experiment)  and  shot  him  full  in  the  forehead,  but  with- 
out making  the  least  impression,  the  hide  of  the  skull- 
piece  being  an  inch  thick,  besides  being  covered  with  a 
large  mass  of  coarse  matted  hair,  as  we  discovered  after 
the  animals  were  brought  in.  The  chase  ceased  about  4 
p.m.  and  the  hunters  came  up  to  us  about  5  p.m.  The 
fruits  of  the  day's  work  were  as  follows:  one  bull,  three 
cows,  and  six  calves,  making  ten  buffaloes.  Five  wagons 
were  immediately  unloaded  to  bring  in  the  game.  A 
little  after  dark  they  returned,  and  the  meat  was  dis- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  385 

tributed,  one  quarter  of  an   animal  being  given  to  each 
ten." 

After  this  day's  sport,  President  Young  cautioned 
the  brethren  not  to  kill  game  wantonly,  as  it  was  dis- 
pleasing to  the  Lord.  Said  he:  "If  we  slay  when  we 
have  no  need,  we  will  need  when  we  cannot  slay." 

The  advice  was  timely.  A  spirit  of  excessive  levity 
had  crept  into  the  camp,  dancing,  card-playing  and 
other  games,  some  of  them  vain  and  foolish  in  the 
extreme,  occupying  most  of  the  time  of  the  brethren 
when  they  had  stopped  for  rest. 

Heber,  noticing  this  tendency,  reproved  them  and 
warned  them  of  the  evil  results  to  which  such  things 
would  lead.  Next  day,  Saturday,  May  28th,  President 
Young  addressed  the  camp  in  relation  to  the  same  sub- 
ject. He  sharply  rebuked  the  offenders,  and  declared 
that  he  would  not  go  one  step  farther  in  company  with 
such  a  spirit  as  they  then  possessed.  He  appealed  to 
them  as  men  of  God,  to  bear  in  mind  their  high  and  holy 
calling  and  the  noble  purpose  of  their  mission.  Apostle 
Orson  Pratt  and  others  also  spoke,  counseling  the 
brethren  to  use  their  spare  time  in  reading,  and  storing 
their  minds  with  useful  knowledge ;  to  cease  their  pro- 
fanity, loud  laughter  and  excess  of  mirth,  and  fast  and 
pray  more,  that  the  spirit  of  their  mission  might  rest 
upon  them. 

A  general  reformation  was  the  result.  The  brethren 
repented,  and,  confessing  their  faults,  resolved  to  eschew 
the  evils  complained  of.  They  faithfully  kept  their  word, 
and  a  better  feeling  prevailed  in  the  camp  from  that 
hour. 

On  the  second  of  June  the  Pioneers  arrived  oppo- 
site Fort  Laramie,  543  miles  from  Winter  Quarters, 
which  distance  they  had  traveled  in  about  seven  weeks. 


386  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Here  they  were  joined  by  a  small  company  of  Saints 
from  Mississippi,  who  had  spent  the  winter  in  Pueblo. 
The  first  half  of  their  journey  to  the  mountains  was 
now  over. 


CHAPTER    LV. 

THE    PIONEERS    CROSS    THE     PLATTE GOVERNOR    BOGGS    AND 

THE       MISSOURI  ANS COL.        BRIDGER "A       THOUSAND 

DOLLARS    FOR    A  BUSHEL    OF    WHEAT" THE    PIONEERS' 

FIRST    GLIMPSE    OF    THE    VALLEY     OF     THE    GREAT    SALT 
LAKE. 

THE  pioneers  now  crossed  the  Platte,  hiring  a  flat- 
boat  for  that  purpose  from  Mr.  Bordeaux,  a  Frenchman, 
the  principal  man  at  the  fort.  From  him  they  learned 
that  their  old  enemy,  Governor  Boggs,  of  Missouri,  had 
recently  passed  over  with  two  companies,  on  their  way 
to  California.  True  to  his  instincts  and  traditions,  Gov- 
ernor Boggs  had  maligned  the  characters  of  the  Mor- 
mons to  Mr.  Bordeaux,  who  answered  that  the  Mormons 
could  not  be  any  worse  than  his  party,  who  were  quarrel- 
ing and  stealing  all  along  the  way. 

Prior  to  crossing  the  river  the  pioneers  had  broken 
a  new  road  over  the  plains  for  several  hundred  miles, 
along  which  tens  of  thousands  of  the  Saints  subsequently 
traveled.  It  was  known  for  many  years  as  the  "old  Mor- 
mon road,"  until  the  railroad  came  to  cover  it  up  and 
obliterate  almost  from  recollection  the  toils  and  trials  of 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  387 

the  ox-team  journeys  of  early  days.  But  now  the  breth- 
ren were  in  the  wake  of  the  Missouri  companies,  travel- 
ing towards  the  land  of  gold. 

At  the  Black  Hills  they  were  seven  days  in  crossing 
the  river.  Having  there  overtaken  the  Missourians, 
they  ferried  them  over,  also,  at  the  rate  of  $1.50  for 
each  wagon  and  load,  taking  their  pay  in  flour,  meal  and 
bacon  at  Missouri  prices.  By  this  time  their  stock  of 
provisions  was  well-nigh  exhausted.  To  have  it  thus 
replenished  in  the  Black  Hills,  and  at  the  hands  of  their 
old  enemies,  the  Missourians,  they  regarded  as  little  less 
than  a  miracle. 

In  this  locality  Heber  discovered  a  fine  spring  of 
clear,  cold  water,  which  he  named  for  himself,  "Kimball's 
Spring." 

The  Missourians,  who  traveled  on  Sundays,  while 
the  pioneers  rested  and  kept  the  holy  day,  were  quarreling 
among  themselves  continually,  and,  not  satisfied  with  this, 
began  to  insult  and  annoy  their  Mormon  neighbors. 
One  evening,  as  Heber  and  Ezra  T.  Benson  were  riding 
ahead  of  their  company  to  look  out  a  camping  ground, 
six  men,  dressed  as  Indians,  being  clothed  in  white  and 
blue  blankets,  suddenly  sprang  up  from  the  grass,  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  left  of  the  road,  and  mounting  their 
horses  started  on.  Seeing  that  the  sight  of  their  blank- 
ets failed  to  terrify  the  Mormon  scouts,  who  continued 
leisurely  on  their  way,  one  of  the  party  left  his  compan- 
ions and  retracing  a  few  steps,  motioned  with  his  hand 
for  the  brethren  to  go  back.  They  kept  on,  however, 
and  the  pseudo  savage  and  his  comrades  then  scampered 
off  and  disappeared  behind  a  ridge  some  distance  ahead. 

Heber  and  his  companion  rode  on,  and  having 
gained  the  summit,  were  just  in  time  to  see  the  six  Mis- 
sourians, for  such  they  were,  ride  into  camp,  no  doubt  to 


388  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

relate  how  badly  they  had  scared  the  two  "  Mormons." 
The  brethren  treated  the  matter  with  silent  contempt, 
though  naturally  a  little  indignant  at  the  gratuitous 
insult  offered  them. 

Independence  Rock  on  the  2ist  of  June;  South 
Pass  on  the  26th.  Two  days  later  Colonel  Bridger 
came  into  camp.  In  council  with  the  Mormon  leaders, 
he  gave  them  some  information,  mostly  of  a  discouraging 
character,  in  regard  to  the  region  towards  which  they 
were  traveling,  and  in  conclusion  said  that  he  would  give 
a  thousand  dollars  for  the  first  bushel  of  wheat  raised  in 
Salt  Lake  Valley. 

On  went  the  heroic  band,  nothing  daunted,  wading 
rivers,  crossing  deserts  and  climbing  mountains ;  trust- 
ing in  God  and  their  great  destiny.  It  did  not  desert 
them.  On  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  July  24th,  1847, 
their  dust-covered  wagons  emerged  from  the  mouth 
of  the  ravine  now  known  as  Emigration  Canyon,  and  the 
Valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  burst  like  a  vision  of 
glory  upon  their  enraptured  view. 

Ah  !  marvel  nothing  if  the  eye  may  trace 
The  care-lines  on  each  toil-worn  hero's  face, 
Nor  yet,  if  down  his  cheek  in  silent  show, 
The  trickling  tides  of  tender  feeling  flow: 
Tears  not  of  weakness,  nor  of  sorrow's  mood, 
As  when  o'er  vanished  joys  sad  memories  brood, 
Far  richer  fount  those  fearless  eyes  bedewed, 
They  wept  the  golden  drops  of  gratitude. 

Wherefore  !  Ask  of  the  bleak  and  biting  wind, 
The  rivers,  rocks  and  deserts  left  behind, 
The  rolling  prairie's  waste  of  moveless  waves, 
A  path  of  pain,  a  trail  of  nameless  graves; 
The  city  fair  where  widowed  loneliness 
Weeps  her  lost  children  in  the  wilderness; 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  389 

The  river  broad  along  whose  icy  bridge 
Their  bleeding  feet  red-hued  each  frozen  ridge; 
The  Christian  world  that  drove  them  forth  to  die 
On  barren  wilds  beneath  a  win  try  sky. 

Would  e'en  the  coldest  heart  forbear  to  say 
Good  cause  had  gratitude  to  weep  that  day? 
Or  censure  for  a  flow  of  manly  tears 
That  brave-souled  band,  immortal  Pioneers  ? 


CHAPTER  LVI. 

THE  PIONEERS  ENTER  THE    VALLEY EXPLORING    AND    COLO- 
NIZING  A     RENEWAL     OF    COVENANTS SELECTION    OF 

INHERITANCES RETURN    OF    THE    LEADERS    TO    WINTER 

QUARTERS. 

HEBER  and  Brigham  entered  the  Valley  together, 
on  the  ever  memorable  "Twenty- fourth,"  the  day  chosen 
by  the  Pioneers  to  celebrate  their  advent  into  the  cham- 
bers of  the  mountains.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however, 
Apostle  Orson  Pratt  with  Elder  Erastus  Snow  and 
others,  sent  on  from  Bear  River  ahead  of  the  main  com- 
pany to  break  a  road  over  the  mountains  and  through 
the  canyons,  had  penetrated  to  and  partly  explored  the 
Valley  three  days  before.  Heber  remained  behind  with 
the  President,  who  was  ill,  having  contracted  the  mount- 
ain fever. 

Arriving  at  the  camp  of  Elder  Pratt,  they  found 
that  the  brethren  had  pitched  their  tents  beside  two  small 
streams  of  pure  water,  and  were  already  engaged  in 


3QO  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

ploughing  and   putting  in  crops.     A  shower  of  rain  fell 
that  afternoon. 

The  next  day  being  the  Sabbath,  the  usual  services 
were  held  and  the  sacrament  administered  to  the  con- 
gregation. The  speakers  of  the  day  were  George  A. 
Smith,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Ezra  T.  Benson,  Wilford 
Woodruff,  Orson  Pratt  and  Willard  Richards.  The 
main  theme  of  the  discourses,  naturally  enough,  was  the 
"land  of  promise"  in  the  "mountains  of  Israel,"  unto 
which  the  God  of  Jacob  had  led  the  vanguard  of  His 
covenant  people. 

The  several  days  ensuing  were  passed  in  exploring 
the  land  and  planning  future  prospects. 

"Monday  July  26th,"  says  Heber,  "I  rode  out  in 
company  with  President  Young  and  the  Twelve,  to  visit 
some  of  the  high  hills  which  lie  a  little  north  of  here. 
We  went  on  a  high  peak  which  President  Young  named 
'Ensign  Peak,"  and  from  thence  had  a  very  pleasing 
view  of  the  Valley,  and  a  great  portion  of  the  Salt  Lake. 
On  returning,  Elders  Richards,  Benson  and  myself 
bathed  in  the  Warm  Springs.  We  found  it  very  pleas- 
ant and  refreshing.  Brother  Mathews  and  John  Brown 
have  been  across  the  Valley  to  the  mountain  west,  and 
say  it  is  about  sixteen  miles  to  the  mountain,  but  there 
is  no  fresh  water  after  leaving  the  outlet." 

Next  day,  Tuesday  the  27th,  Elder  Amasa  Lyman, 
who  with  others  had  left  the  pioneer  camp  at  Fort 
Laramie,  to  meet  a  detachment  of  the  Battalion  at  Pueblo 
and  lead  them  on  to  the  Valley,  arrived  in  advance  of 
his  company  with  Elders  Rodney  Badger,  Roswell 
Stevens  and  Samuel  Brannan,  the  last  named  from 
California.  Says  Heber;  "I  rode  out  again  with 
President  Young  and  some  others  to  visit  the  Hot 
Springs,  and  counsel  on  the  matter  of  some  of  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  39! 

soldiers  of  the  Battalion  accompanying  Brother  Brannan 
to  San  Francisco.  Some  of  the  Utah  Indians  visited  the 
camp  during  the  day  and  the  brethren  traded  with  them. 
They  appeared  poor  and  barely  clad.  Some  of  the 
brethren  have  been  to  the  mountains  to  get  a  log  for  a 
skiff. 

"  Wednesday  28th  :  Yesterday  after  riding  around  a 
little,  we  started  for  the  Salt  Lake  and  arrived  in  suffi- 
cient time  to  bathe  in  it.  The  water  is  much  salter  than 
sea  water,  and  it  is  supposed  it  would  yield  35  per  cent, 
of  pure  salt.  This  morning  we  started  back  to  camp 
and  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  I  attended  a  general 
meeting,  when  the  brethren  were  addressed  by  President 
Young  on  various  subjects.  We  have  selected  a  place 
for  a  city  about  half  a  mile  north  of  here,  and  calculated 
to  lay  it  off  in  ten-acre  lots,  each  block  to  be  divided  into 
8  lots  of  i  *4  acres  each,  exclusive  of  the  streets. 

"Thursday  29th.  This  morning  I  went  in  company 
with  President  Young  to  meet  the  soldiers  and  the 
Pueblo  company.  We  met  them  in  the  canyon.  The 
brethren  seemed  highly  pleased  to  see  us.  We  got 
back  to  camp  about  five  o'clock. 

"  Friday  3Oth.  This  morning  the  Twelve  met  in 
council  with  the  officers  of  the  Battalion.  In  the  even- 
ing the  soldiers  were  called  together  and  addressed  by 
President  Young.  ,  The  meeting  was  opened  by  'Hosan- 
nas,'  and  closed  by  requesting  the  brethren  to  build  a 
bowery  to  hold  our  meetings  under. 

"Sunday,  August  ist,  Brother  Markham  says  that 
there  are  already  about  fifty-three  acres  of  land  plowed 
and  most  of  it  planted  with  corn,  beans,  garden  seeds, 
etc.  There  have  been  thirteen  plows  and  three  drags 
at  work  nearly  all  the  week.  At  ten  o'clock  we  assem- 
bled for  meeting  in  the  bowery.  It  was  decided  to  build 


392  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

a  stockade  of  adobies,  and  adobie  houses,  and  a  number 
of  men  were  selected  to  commence  making  adobies 
to-morrow. 

"We  also  took  a  vote  to  have  all  the  wagons  move 
up  and  form  one  camp  at  the  east  end  of  the  city." 

The  foregoing  excerpts  from  Heber's  journal  will 
suffice  to  show  the  nature  of  the  initial  labors  of  the 
pioneers  in  preparing  a  home  for  themselves  and  their 
brethren  and  sisters  who  were  to  follow  them. 

A  renewal  of  covenants  now  took  place,  the  leaders 
setting  the  example  by  being  rebaptized.  President 
Young  baptized  his  brethren  of  the  Twelve  who  were 
present,  confirmed  them,  and  sealed  upon  them  anew 
their  Apostleship.  Heber  C.  Kimball  then  baptized  and 
confirmed  President  Young.  This  event  took  place  on 
the  sixth  of  August. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  following  the  Apostles 
selected  their  inheritances,  Heber  C.  Kimball  taking  a 
block  north  of  the  Temple,  President  Young  a  block 
east  and  running  south-east,  Orson  Pratt  a  block 
south,  Wilford  Woodruff  a  block  cornering  the  Temple 
block  and  adjoining  Elder  Pratt's,  George  A.  Smith 
a  block  on  the  west,  and  the  others  lots  in  the  near 
vicinity. 

The  same  evening  Heber  baptized  fifty-five  members 
of  the  camp,  in  City  Creek,  for  the  remission  of  their 
sins ;  and  the  next  day,  August  8th,  the  remainder  of  the 
camp  renewed  their  covenants  by  baptism. 

At  a  special  conference  on  the  22nd  of  August,  a 
stake  of  Zion  was  organized,  with  Father  John  Smith  as 
President.  It  was  resolved  that  the  city  then  being  built 
should  be  called  the  City  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  The 
various  creeks  and  canyons  surrounding  were  also 
christened,  and,  on  motion  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  393 

river  to  the  west  of  the  settlement  was  named  the 
Western  Jordan. 

In  the  course  of  his  remarks  at  this  conference, 
Heber  used  the  following  prophetic  language:  "Brother 
Brigham  is  going  to  be  greater  than  he  was ;  he  will  be 
greater  in  strength,  in  beauty,  and  in  glory.  Call  upon 
God  and  we  shall  increase  here.  Away  with  the  spirit 
of  alienation,  and  let  us  be  united.  This  is  a  paradise 
to  me.  It  is  one  of  the  most  lovely  places  I  ever 
beheld." 

Having  now  established  their  feet,  spiritually  and 
temporally,  upon  this  chosen  land,  the  leaders  and 
pioneers,  with  most  of  the  returning  members  of  the 
Battalion,  harnessed  their  teams,  and  bidding  farewell  to 
their  brethren  and  sisters  who  were  to  tarry,  set  out 
upon  the  return  journey  to  Winter  Quarters. 

Several  companies  were  now  upon  the  road  under 
the  captaincy  of  such  men  as  Parley  P.  Pratt,  John 
Taylor,  Edward  Hunter,  Daniel  Spencer  and  Jedediah 
M.  Grant.  On  the  4th  of  September,  President  Young 
and  his  company  met  Apostle  P.  P.  Pratt  and  Captain 
Sessions,  with  their  divisions,  on  the  Little  Sandy.  Here 
the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  held  a  council,  and  the  Presi- 
dent was  under  the  necessity  of  rebuking  two  of  the 
Apostles  "for  undoing  what  the  majority  of  the  quorum 
had  done  in  the  organization  of  the  camps  for  traveling." 
Says  President  Woodruff  in  his  journal:  "President 
Young  said  he  felt  eternity  resting  upon  him,  and  was 
weighed  down  to  the  earth  with  this  work ;  and  that 
Brother  Kimball  felt  it  also,,  more  than  any  other  man 
except  himself.  He  should  chastise  any  one  of  the 
quorum  when  out  of  the  way.  He  had  done  it  for  our 
good,  and  had  been  constrained  to  it  by  the  power  of 
God. 


394  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"Brother  Kimball  then  addressed  President  Young: 
'I  want  you,  Brother  Brigham,'  he  said,  'to  save  your- 
self, for  you  are  wearing  down.  I  feel  tender  towards 
you,  to  live,  and  if  I  and  my  brethren  do  wrong,  tell  us 
of  it,  and  we  will  repent." 

On  the  Sweetwater,  they  met  Apostle  Taylor  and 
his  company,  and  were  treated  by  them  to  a  rich  feast, 
prepared  as  a  surprise  to  the  returning  pioneers. 

The  Indians  had  now  commenced  to  be  troublesome, 
prowling  around  the  camps,  stealing  horses  and  cattle, 
and  committing  other  petty  depredations.  An  exciting 
though  bloodless  affray  took  place  between  them  and 
the  pioneers  on  the  morning  of  the  2ist  of  September. 
The  brethren  were  just  getting  ready  to  start,  when  the 
alarm  was  given  by  the  men  who  had  been  sent  out  to 
gather  up  the  horses,  that  the  Indians  were  "rushing" 
them — driving  them  off.  The  camp  flew  to  arms,  just  in 
time  to  received  the  onslaught  of  the  savages,  who, 
emerging  from  the  timbers  and  firing  their  guns,  charged 
upon  them  at  full  speed.  There  were  at  least  two  hun- 
dred mounted  warriors.  A  return  volley  from  the 
pioneers  broke  the  Indian  charge,  and  the  brethren  then 
gave  chase,  Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Wilford  Woodruff 
leading  the  counter  charge  with  impetuous  zeal.  Dash- 
ing almost  alone  at  the  swarming  savages,  the  sight  of 
their  daring  courage  spread  consternation  among  their 
foes,  who  broke  and  fled  incontinently. 

The  old  chief  who  had  directed  the  attack  now 
shouted  to  his  band  and  proclaimed  peace  to  the 
pioneers,  telling  them  that  he  and  his  warriors  were 
good  Sioux,  and  had  mistaken  them  for  Crows  or  Snakes, 
with  whom  they  were  at  war.  The  brethren  thought  it 
good  policy  to  accept  the  excuse,  transparent  though  it 
was,  and  to  appear  satisfied  with  the  explanation.  The 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  395 

chief  proposed  the  smoking  of  the  pipe  of  peace  with 
them,  and  wanted  the  "big  chief  of  his  Mormon 
brothers"  to  go  to  his  camp.  This,  however,  was  not 
deemed  prudent,  but  Heber,  Col.  Markham  and  Apostle 
Woodruff  went  instead,  hoping  thus  to  recover  their 
horses,  eleven  of  which  had  been  stolen  that  day, 
besides  many  others  on  the  Sweetwater. 

Heber  and  his  companions  were  kindly  received  by 
the  Indians,  who  were  camped  about  five  miles  away, 
and  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace  with  their  leading  men. 
Seeing  some  of  the  stolen  animals  in  camp,  Heber 
walked  deliberately  up  to  them,  took  their  ropes  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  astonished  savages,  and  coolly  returned 
with  them,  amid  the  grunts  and  approving  nods  of  his 
swarthy  admirers.  They  named  him  "the  bald-headed 
chief."  Says  he: 

"  I  saw  quite  a  number  of  horses  that  were  stolen 
from  us  on  the  Sweetwater,  but  President  Young  sug- 
gested that  we  say  nothing  about  these  for  the  present; 
but  when  we  should  get  to  Fort  Laramie  to  offer  Mr. 
Bordeaux  $100  to  procure  them  for  us;  inasmuch  as  it 
was  deemed  inexpedient  to  take  them  by  force,  number- 
ing as  they  did  some  eight  hundred  men,  and  their  camp 
comprising  upwards  of  one  hundred  lodges.  It  (was 
chiefly  through  my  own  exertions  that  we  recovered  the 
most  of  the  horses,  and  I  verily  believe  that  if  I  had  had 
a  few  more  men  with  me  of  sufficient  energy  and  resolu- 
tion, while  at  their  camp,  I  could  have  secured  all  of  the 
stolen  horses." 

It  was  President  Young's  wise  policy  to  placate  the 
Indians  and  win  their  friendship,  for  the  sake  of  future 
emigrations. 

At  Fort  Laramie,  President  Young,  Apostle  Kimball 
and  others  of  the  Twelve  dined  with  Commodore  Stock- 


396  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

ton,  from   the  Bay  of  San  Francisco/who  was  eastward 
bound. 

Continuing  on  their  way,  the  pioneers  and  Battalion 
4 'boys"  arrived  in  safety  at  Winter  Quarters  on  the  3ist 
of  October.  Upon  the  joy  of  their  meeting  with  their 
families  and  with  the  Saints,  we  need  not  dwell.  They 
found  that  during  their  absence  peace  and  prosperity  had 
generally  prevailed. 


CHAPTER  LVII. 

THE    FIRST    PRESIDENCY     REORGANIZED HEBER    ATTAINS    TO 

''THE    HONOR    OF    THE     THREE" SECOND    JOURNEY    TO 

THE     MOUNTAINS SICKNESS      AND     DISTRESS HEBER's 

CHARACTER    AS    A    COLONIZER. 

ANOTHER   notable  change  in   the  eventful  career  of 
Heber  C.  Ktmball.     The  quorum  of  the  First  Presidency, 
which  had  remained  vacant   since  the   death   of  Joseph, 
was'   now    reorganized.       Brigham    Young,     the    chief 
Apostle  of  the  Twelve,    was    chosen    President   of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints   in  all  the 
world,  with   Heber  C.  Kimball  and  Willard  Richards  as 
his  counselors. 

The  subject  of  the  reorganization  had  been  con- 
sidered by  the  leaders  soon  after  their  return  to  Winter 
Quarters  from  the  Valley,  but  it  was  not  until  the  fifth  of 
December  that  the  matter  assumed  definite  shape.  At 
a  feast  and  council  held  on  that  day  at  the  house  of 
Elder  Orson  Hyde,  who  had  presided  at  Winter  Quarters 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  397 

during  the  absence  of  the  pioneers,  the  question  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Apostles  by  President  Young.  Those 
present  were  then  called  upon,  in  their  order,  to  express 
their  views  in  relation  to  the  subject,  when  Heber  C. 
Kimball,  Orson  Pratt,  Wilford  Woodruff,  Willard 
Richards,  George  A.  Smith,  Amasa  Lyman,  and  Ezra  T. 
Benson  spoke  to  the  question.  President  Young 
closed. 

Orson  Hyde  then  moved  that  Brigham  Young  b^e 
President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints,  and  that  he  nominate  his  two  counselors  to  form 
the  First  Presidency.  Wilford  Woodruff  seconded  the 
motion,  and  it  was  carried  unanimously. 

President  Young  then  nominated  Heber  C.  Kimball 
as  his  first  counselor,  and  Willard  Richards  as  his  second 
counselor,  and  the  nominations  were  unanimously  sus- 
tained. 

This  action  of  the  Apostles  in  their  council  was  sus- 
tained by  the  Saints  in  general  conference  assembled, 
on  the  2yth  of  December,  1847.  The  conference  lasted 
four  days  and  was  attended  by  at  least  one  thousand 
people.  It  was  held  in  the  new  log  tabernacle  at  Winter 
Quarters,  a  building  erected  especially  for  the  purpose. 
The  reorganization  of  the  Presidency  was  confirmed  at 
the  October  conference  of  the  following  year,  in  Great 
Salt  Lake  City. 

Apropos  of  this  event: — In  a  patriarchal  blessing 
upon  the  head  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  given  by  the 
Patriarch  Hyrum  Smith,  at  Nauvoo,  on  the  gih  of  March, 
1842,  the  following  language  occurs:  "You  shall  be 
blest  with  a  fulness  and  shall  be  not  one  whit  behind  the 
chiefest;  as  an  Apostle  you  shall  stand  in  the  presence 
of  God  to  judge  the  people ;  and  as  a  Prophet  you  shall 
attain  to  THE  HONOR  OF  THE  THREE!" 


398  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1848,  the  First  Presidency 
organized  the  main  body  of  the  Saints  on  the  Elk  Horn, 
preparatory  to  the  second  journey  to  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains. The  camp  consisted  of  six  hundred  wagons,  the 
largest  pioneer  company  that  had  yet  set  out  to  cross 
the  plains.  Under  Brigham  and  Heber  they  were  led  in 
safety  to  Zion's  mountain  retreat,  arriving  in  Salt  Lake 
Valley  in  September,  1848. 

The  journey,  however,  was  one  of  severe  trial  to 
President  Kimball  and  his  family.  His  daughter  Helen, 
who  had  married  Horace  K.  Whitney,  eldest  son  of 
Bishop  Whitney,  had  lost  by  death  her  first  babe,  a 
daughter,  in  the  Spring  of  '47,  while  her  husband  was 
absent  with  the  pioneers ;  and  in  the  journey  of  '48, 
she  lost  her  second  born,  a  son,  whom  she  considered  as 
a  little  martyr.  So  great  was  the  sorrow  of  the  poor 
mother  over  this  second  calamity,  that  she  was  not  only 
brought  to  death's  door,  but  her  reason  was  for  a  time 
overthrown.  Vilate  herself  was  prostrated  by  her 
daughter's  deep  distress,  and  it  was  only  by  dint  of 
Heber's  mighty  faith  and  powerful  will,  that  either  of 
them  were  kept  alive.  Again  and  again  he  administered 
to  the  sufferers,  praying  that  God  would  spare  their  lives, 
and  declaring  in  prophetic  words  to  them  and  the  whole 
camp  that  they  ''should  not  die."  Thus  it  was,  through- 
out the  entire  journey  to  the  mountains.  That  season  of 
dire  trouble  Heber  and  his  family  ever  after  looked  back 
upon  as  one  of  the  extraordinary  trials  of  his  life. 

But  it  also  brought  out  the  noble  qualities  of  Vilate's 
sister  wives,  who  daily  administered  strength  and  succor 
to  the  family.  For  Heber,  prior  to  this,  and  even  before 
leaving  Nauvoo,  had  taken  many  wives,  and  like  Abra- 
ham and  Jacob  of  old,  had  become  the  head  of  a  patri- 
archal house-hold.  His  family,  at  this  time,  including  his 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  399 

adopted  children  and  those  dependent  upon  him  for  sup- 
port, numbered  over  one  hundred  souls. 

The  residue  of  Heber  C.  Kimball's  history  is  con- 
fined to  the  land  which  his  wives  and  children  now 
inhabit,  and  where  much  of  it  that  may  never  be  written 
by  mortal  pen  is  cherished  as  precious  memories  in  the 
hearts  of  tens  of  thousands.  From  here  on,  we  are  more 
than  ever  compelled  to  cull  from  a  superabundant 
variety  of  incidents  the  leading  events  of  a  life  which 
now  saw  some  of  its  best  and  busiest  days. 

During  the  remaining  two  decades  of  his  mortal 
existence,  his  history,  so  inseparably  interwoven  with 
that  of  the  great  work  to  which  he  had  given  all  his 
energy  and  heart's  devotion,  is  largely  the  history,  for 
the  same  period,  of  the  development  of  this  inter- 
mountain  region.  Though  leaning  in  his  temperament 
to  the  spiritual,  he  was  also  by  nature  a  colonizer,  with 
the  elements  of  a  great  leader  in  his  composition.  Next 
to  those  of  Brigham  Young,  will  the  name  and  fame  of 
Heber  C.  Kimball  live  in  the  hearts  of  God's  people 
and  forever  shine  in  the  annals  of  Latter-day  Israel  as 
one  of  the  foremost  of  that  hardy  and  heroic  band,  who, 
under  God,  redeemed  and  beautified  this  barren  waste, 
"making  its  wilderness  like  Eden,  and  its  desert  like 
the  garden  of  the  Lord." 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

THE     CRICKET     PLAGUE SAVED     BY     THE      GULLS HEBER^S 

FAMOUS     PROPHECY      "STATES    GOODS "     SOLD    IN    GREAT 
SALT    LAKE    CITY    CHEAPER    THAN    IN    NEW    YORK. 

Now  came  a  series  of  trials  differing  from  anything 
the  Saints  had  yet  experienced.  Indeed,  it  seemed 
as  if  they  were  fated  to  literally  " endure  all  things,"  and 
like  the  Master  they  served,  the  great  Captain  of  sal- 
vation, be  "made  perfect  through  suffering."  Hitherto 
they  had  been  warred  against  by  the  powers  of  evil  and 
their  fellow-men.  Now  their  opponents  were  the  blind 
forces  of  nature,  and  creatures  of  another  class. 

The  year  1848  was  the  year  of  the  cricket  plague. 
Myriads  of  these  destructive  pests,  an  army  of  famine 
and  despair,  rolled  in  black  legions  down  the  mountain 
sides  and  attacked  the  growing  fields  of  grain.  The 
tender  crops  fell  an  easy  prey  to  their  fierce  voracity. 
They  literally  swept  everything  before  them.  Starva- 
tion with  all  its  terrors  seemed  staring  the  poor  settlers 
in  the  face. 

They  were  saved  by  a  miracle.  In  the  midst  of  the 
work  of  destruction,  when  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  could 
stay  the  devastation,  great  flocks  of  gulls  suddenly 
appeared  filling  the  air  with  their  white  wings  and  plain- 
tive cries,  and  settled  down  upon  the  half  ruined  fields. 
At  first  it  seemed  as  though  they  came  but  to  destroy 
what  the  crickets  had  left.  But  their  true  purpose  was 
soon  apparent.  They  came  to  prey  upon  the  destroyers. 
All  day  long  they  gorged  themselves,  and,  when  full, 
disgorged  and  feasted  again ;  the  white  gulls  upon  the 


V 


- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  4OI 

black  crickets,  like  hosts  of  heaven  and  hell  contending, 
until  the  pests  were  vanquished  and  the  people  were 
saved.  The  heaven-sent  birds  then  returned  to  the  lake 
islands  whence  they  came,  leaving  the  grateful  people  to 
shed  tears  of  joy  at  the  wonderful  deliverance  wrought 
out  for  them. 

Still  there  was  a  season  of  scarcity.  The  surplus  of 
the  first  harvests  in  the  Valley  had  barely  been  sufficient 
to  meet  the  wants  of  the  emigration,  which  had  com- 
menced pouring  in  from  the  frontiers  and  from  Europe ; 
and  now  that  the  crickets  had  played  such  havoc  with 
the  crops,  there  was  danger,  in  spite  of  the  interposition 
of  the  gulls,  of  some  suffering  from  hunger.  This  was 
only  averted  by  the  exercise  of  the  highest  wisdom  and 
broadest  charity,  and  the  partial  observance  of  the 
principle  of  the  United  Order,  which  the  Saints  had 
before  sought  to  introduce,  and  still  have  it  in  their 
mission  to  establish.  The  people  were  put  upon 
rations,  all  sharing  the  same,  like  members  of  one 
great  family.  Many,  however,  in  order  to  swell 
their  scanty  store,  went  out  and  dug  roots  with 
the  Indians,  or  cooked  and  ate  the  hides  of  animals 
with  which  they  had  covered  the  roofs  of  their  houses. 

It  was  during  this  time  of  famine,  when  the  half 
starved,  half-clad  settlers  scarcely  knew  where  to  look 
for  the  next  crust  of  bread  or  for  rags  to  hide  their 
nakedness  —  for  clothing  had  become  almost  as  scarce 
with  them  as  bread-stuffs  —  that  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
filled  with  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  in  a  public  meeting 
declared  to  the  astonished  congregation  that,  within  a 
short  time,  "States  goods"  would  be  sold  in  the  streets 
of  Great  Salt  Lake  City  cheaper  than  in  New  York 
and  that  the  people  should  be  abundantly  supplied  with 
food  and  clothing. 

26 


4O2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it,"  said  Charles  C.  Rich; 
and  he  but  voiced  the  sentiment  of  nine-tenths  of  those 
who  had  heard  the  astounding  declaration. 

Heber  himself  was  startled  at  his  own  words,  as 
soon  as  the  Spirit's  force  had  abated  and  the  "natural 
man"  had  reasserted  himself.  On  resuming  his  seat, 
he  remarked  to  the  brethren  that  he  was  "  afraid  he 
had  missed  it  this  time."  But  they  were  not  his  own 
words,  and  He  who  had  inspired  them  knew  how  to 
fulfill. 

The  occasion  for  the  fulfillment  of  this  remarkable 
prediction  was  the  unexpected  advent  of  the  gold-hun- 
ters, on  their  way  to  California.  The  discovery  of  gold 
in  that  land  had  set  on  fire,  as  it  were,  the  civilized 
world,  and  hundreds  of  richly  laden  trains  now  began 
pouring  across  the  continent  on  their  way  to  the  new 
El  dorado.  Salt  Lake  Valley  became  the  resting-place, 
or  "half-way  house"  of  the  nation,  and  before  the  Saints 
had  had  time  to  recover  from  their  surprise  at  Heber's 
temerity  in  making  such  a  prophecy,  the  still  more  won- 
derful fulfillment  was  brought  to  their  very  doors.  The 
gold-hunters  were  actuated  by  but  one  desire ;  to  reach 
«  the  Pacific  Coast;  the  thirst  for  mammon  having 
absorbed  for  the  time  all  other  sentiments  and  desires. 
Impatient  at  their  slow  progress,  in  order  to  lighten  their 
loads,  they  threw  away  or  "sold  for  a  song"  the  valuable 
merchandise  with  which  they  had  stored  their  wagons  to 
cross  the  Plains.  Their  choice,  blooded,  though  now 
jaded  stock,  they  eagerly  exchanged  for  the  fresh  mules 
and  horses  of  the  pioneers,  and  bartered  off,  at  almost 
any  sacrifice,  dry  goods,  groceries,  provisions,  tools, 
clothing,  etc.,  for  the  most  primitive  out-fits,  with  barely 
enough  provisions  to  enable  them  to  reach  their  jour- 
ney's end.  Thus,  as  the  Prophet  Heber  had  predicted, 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  403 

"  States  goods"  were  actually  sold  in  the  streets  of 
Great  Salt  Lake  City  cheaper  than  they  could  have  been 
purchased  in  the  City  of  New  York. 

Referring  to  this  incident,  in  a  sermon,  a  few  years 
later,  Heber  says : 

"The  Spirit  of  prophecy  foresees  future  events. 
God  does  not  bring  to  pass  a  thing  because  you  say  it 
shall  be  so,  but  because  He  designed  it  should  be  so, 
and  it  is  the  future  purposes  of  the  Almighty  that  the 
Prophet  foresees.  That  is  the  way  I  prophesy,  but  I 
have  predicted  things  I  did  not  foresee,  and  did  not 
believe  anybody  else  did,  but  I  have  said  it,  and  it  came 
to  pass  even  more  abundantly  than  I  predicted ;  and 
that  was  with  regard  to  the  future  situation  of  the  people 
who  first  came  into  this  valley.  Nearly  every  man  was 
dressed  in  skins,  and  we  were  all  poor,  destitute,  and 
distressed,  yet  we  all  felt  well.  I  said,  'it  will  be  but  a 
little  while,  brethren,  before  you  shall  have  food  and 
raiment  in  abundance,  and  shall  buy  it  cheaper  than  it 
can  be  bought  in  the  cities  of  the  United  States.'  I  did 
not  know  there  were  any  Gentiles  coming  here,  I  never 
thought  of  such  a  thing ;  but  after  I  spoke  it  I  thought  I 
must  be  mistaken  this  time.  Brother  Rich  remarked  at 
the  time,  T  do  not  believe  a  word  of  it.'  And  neither 
did  I ;  but,  to  the  astonishment  and  joy  of  the  Saints,  it 
came  to  pass  just  as  I  had  spoken  it,  only  more 
abundantly.  The  Lord  led  me  right,  but  I  did  not 
know  it. 

'T  have  heard  Joseph  say  many  times,  that  he  was 
much  tempted  about  the  revelations  the  Lord  gave 
through  him  —  it  seemed  to  be  so  impossible  for  them  to 
be  fulfilled.  I  do  not  profess  to  be  a  Prophet;  but  I 
know  that  every  man  and  woman  can  be,  if  they  live 
for  it." 


404  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Though  Heber  did  not  "profess  to  be  a  Prophet," 
he  was  one  nevertheless,  and  manifested  the  gift  of 
prophecy,  as  is  generally  admitted,  to  a  greater  extent 
than  any  other  man  in  the  Church,  excepting  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith. 

Brigham  was  in  the  habit  of  saying:  " Heber  is  my 
Prophet."  In  a  conversation  with  Col.  Thomas  L.  Kane 
on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  latter  to  the  Territory, 
at  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  the  "Utah  War" 
troubles,  President  Young  said:  "Brother  Kimball  said 
in  Nauvoo,  '  If  we  have  to  leave  our  houses  we  will  go 
to  the  mountains,  and  in  a  few  years  we  will  have  a  bet- 
ter city  than  we  have  here.'  This  is  fulfilled.  He  also 
said,  'we  shall  have  gold,  and  coin  twenty-dollar  gold 
pieces.'  We  came  here,  founded  a  city,  and  coined  the 
first  twenty-dollar  gold  pieces  in  the  United  States.*  See- 
ing the  brethren  poorly  clad,  soon  after  we  came  here,  he 
said,  'it  will  not  be  three  years  before  we  can  buy  clothing 
cheaper  in  Salt  Lake  Valley  than  in  the  States.'  Before 
the  time  was  out,  the  gold-diggers  brought  loads  of 
clothing,  and  sold  them  in  our  city  at  a  wanton  price." 

*Heber  was  one  of  the  principal  movers  in  procuring  the  stamp  with  which  these 
gold  pieces  were  coined. 


CHAPTER   LIX. 

HEBER  C.  KIMBALL  CHIEF  JUSTICE  AND  LIEUTENANT  GOVERNOR 
OF  DESERET IN  THE  LEGISLATURE LAYING  THE  COR- 
NER STONES  OF  THE  SALT  LAKE  TEMPLE HEBER's 

CONSECRATION    PRAYER HIS     PROPHECY    IN     RELATION 

TO  THE   TEMPLE HE  PREDICTS    ANOTHER    FAMINE. 

PRESIDENT  Kimball's  experience  was  now  more 
than  ever  of  a  mixed  and  varied  character;  a  natural 
concomitant  of  his  position  as  a  leader  in  the  settlement 
of  a  new  country.  As  first  counselor  to  his  chief,  and 
only  second  to  him  in  influence  among  the  people,  we 
find  him  taking"  part  and  helping  to  direct  in  all  the 
important  movements  affecting  the  growth  and  prosperity 
of  Zion. 

In  March,  1849,  the  Provisional  Government  of  the 
State  of  Deseret  was  organized,  pending  the  action  of 
Congress  on  a  petition  for  a  Territorial  Government. 
The  election,  held  on  the  twelfth  of  that  month,  resulted 
in  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  following  officers.  Brig- 
ham  Young,  Governor;  Willard  Richards,  Secretary; 
Newel  K.Whitney,  Treasurer;  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Chief 
Justice;  John  Taylor  and  N.  K.  Whitney,  Associate 
Justices;  Daniel  H.  Wells,  Attorney-General;  Horace  S. 
Eldredge,  Marshal ;  Albert  Carrington,  Assessor  and 
Collector  of  taxes;  Joseph  L.  Heywood,  Surveyor  of 
highways ;  and  the  Bishops  of  the  several  wards  as 
magistrates. 

Heber  was  also  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  Provis- 
ional State  of  Deseret. 

At  the  October   conference   of    1849,    m's  voice  is 


406  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

heard  introducing  the  subject  of  the  Perpetual.  Emigra- 
tion Fund,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  Saints  who  were 
unable  to  gather  to  Zion.  The  sum  of  $5,000  was 
raised  that  season  by  voluntary  donations,  and  Bishop 
Edward  Hunter  despatched  to  the  frontier  as  general 
agent  of  the  Church,  to  superintend  the  emigration. 

At  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of  Deseret,  held 
in  March,  1851,  Heber  C.  Kimball  was  President  of  the 
Council  branch  of  the  Assembly,  and,  in  September  of 
the  same  year,  a  member  of  the  Council  of  the  first  ses- 
sion of  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory  of 
Utah. 

The  corner  stones  of  the  Salt  Lake  Temple  were  laid 
on  the  sixth  of  April,  1853,  the  south-east  corner  stone 
being  laid  by  the  First  Presidency,  Brigham  Young,  Heber 
C.  Kimball  and  Willard  Richards,  assisted  by  Patriarch 
John  Smith.  President  Young  delivered  the  oration  and 
President  Kimball  offered  the  consecration  prayer.  This 
prayer  is  worth  preserving  in  his  history.  It  was  as 
follows : 

UO  God,  the  Eternal  Father,  in  the  name  of  Thy 
Son  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  we  ask  Thee  to  look 
upon  us  at  this  time  in  Thy  tender  mercy.  Thou 
beholdest  that  Thy  servants,  Brigham  and  his  council, 
have  laid  the  corner  stone  of  a  holy  house,  which  we 
are  about  to  erect  unto  Thy  name.  We  desire  to  do  it 
with  clean  hands  and  pure  hearts  before  Thee,  and 
before  Thine  holy  angels. 

"We  thank  Thee  that  we  are  permitted  to  live  in 
the  flesh,  and  have  a  place  upon  Thy  footstool,  and  par- 
take daily  of  the  bounties  Thy  hand  bestows,  for  Thou 
art  our  father,  and  Jesus  Christ  is  our  elder  brother. 

"Inasmuch,  O  Lord,  as  we  desire  to  erect  a  house 
to  Thy  name,  and  if  it  seemeth  Thee  good  to  come  and 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  407 

take  up  Thine  abode  on  the  earth,  that  Thou  mayest 
have  a  place  to  lay  Thy  head,  we  pray  Thee  to  assist  us 
to  erect  it  in  purity  before  Thee,  and  the  heavenly  hosts. 

"We  ask  Thee  to  help  us  so  to  conduct  ourselves, 
that  all  the  holy  Prophets,  the  angels  of  heaven,  with 
Thee  and  Thy  son,  may  be  engaged  continually  for  our 
welfare,  in  the  work  of  salvation  and  eternal  lives. 
Bless  us  in  this  attempt  to  glorify  Thee.  Bless  this 
portion  of  the  earth  we  dwell  upon  —  even  these  valleys 
of  the  mountains,  which  we  have  consecrated  unto  Thee. 
Cause  them  to  bring  forth  the  productions  of  the  soil  in 
rich  abundance.  Bless  the  seeds  that  are  placed  therein 
by  Thy  servants  and  handmaidens.  And  inasmuch  as 
they  are  disposed  to  do  Thy  work,  and  erect  a  temple 
to  Thy  name,  which  is  their  fixed  purpose  and  determin- 
ation, let  the  heavens  be  gentle  over  them.  May  the 
earth  be  sanctified  for  their  good,  and  the  seeds  they 
throw  into  it  yield  to  them  an  hundred  fold  in  return. 
We  pray  Thee  to  bless  such  men  and  women  —  may  the 
blessings  of  the  Almighty  richly  attend  them  —  and 
multiply  them  in  their  families,  in  their  herds  and  flocks, 
in  strength  and  in  health,  in  salvation  and  in  eternal 
lives. 

"We  also  pray  for  those  who  do  not  feel  favorably 
disposed  to  Thy  work  —  may  Thy  blessings  not  attend 
them,  but  may  they  go  backward  and  not  forward,  may 
they  wither  and  not  increase,  and  may  the  strength  that 
they  might  have  received,  through  their  faithfulness 
to  Thy  work  be  multiplied  and  divided  amongst  these 
Thy  servants  who  are  determined  to  keep  Thy  com- 
mandments, and  sanctify  their  affections  unto  Thee. 

"Look  upon  Thy  servant  Brigham,  O  Lord,  and  let 
Thy  Holy  Spirit  rest  mightily  upon  him  this  day,  and 
from  henceforth.  May  he  live  to  dictate  the  erection 


408  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KTMBALL. 

of  Thy  house,  see  the  top  stone  brought  on  with  rejoic- 
ing, and  administer  the  keys  of  salvation  and  eternal 
life  unto  his  brethren  therein.  Bless  his  council  in  com- 
mon with  him,  may  they  live  to  a  good  old  age,  and 
glorify  God  in  all  their  days ;  may  they  never  want  for 
food  and  raiment,  for  fathers  and  mothers,  for  wives  and 
children,  and  for  the  power  of  Thy  Spirit  to  inspire 
them,  and  those  Thou  hast  given  them. 

"  Pour  out  Thy  Spirit  upon  Thy  servants,  the  Twelve 
Apostles ;  may  Thy  power  abide  upon  them,  to  qualify 
them  for  the  responsible  calling  unto  which  Thou  hast 
called  them.  Also,  in  connection  with  them,  let  Thy 
Spirit  rest  upon  the  Quorums  of  the  Seventies,  the  High 
Priests,  the  Bishops,  the  High  Council,  the  Elders, 
Priests,  Teachers,  and  Deacons ;  and  upon  every  faith- 
ful member  of  Thy  church  in  these  valleys  of  the  mount- 
ains, and  in  all  the  world. 

"Now,  O  God,  we  dedicate  this  stone  to  Thee. 
May  this  spot  be  holy,  and  all  that  pertaineth  to  it.  And 
inasmuch  as  there  shall  be  an  enemy,  or  a  person  that 
are  evil-disposed  towards  Thy  house,  and  they  shall 
endeavor  to  lay  snares  for  the  feet  of  Thy  people,  may 
they  be  caught  in  their  own  net,  be  overwhelmed  in  their 
own  dilemma,  and  have  no  power  nor  influence  in  the 
least  to  hurt  Thy  saints  from  this  time  henceforth  for- 
ever. May  the  power  of  the  Mighty  God  of  Jacob 
fortify  Thy  servants,  enabling  them  to  execute  right- 
eousness before  Thee  the  Lord  our  God. 

"Hear  us,  O  Lord,  for  we  dedicate  this,  the  south- 
east corner  stone  unto  Thee,  praying  that  it  may  sleep 
in  peace,  be  preserved  from  decay,  for  it  is  the  chief 
corner-stone  of  the  house  we  shall  rear  to  Thy  name. 
May  the  same  blessings  attend  the  other  three  corner- 
stones, and  all  the  works  Thy  servants  shall  set 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  409 

their  hands  to  do,  from  this  time  henceforth  and  for- 
ever. 

"Bless  the  architect,  the  superintendent,  the  fore- 
men of  the  various  departments,  and  all  the  laborers 
that  shall  raise  a  hand,  or  move  a  thing  for  the  erection 
and  perfection  of  this  Thine  house ;  and  provide  for 
them,  their  wives,  their  children,  and  all  that  pertains 
unto  them,  that  they  may  want  for  no  good  or  necessary 
thing,  while  they  are  engaged  in  Thy  service,  and  from 
this  time  henceforth  and  forever. 

"  We  dedicate  ourselves  unto  Thee,  with  our  wives, 
our  children,  our  flocks,  and  our  herds,  with  all  the 
settlements  and  possessions  that  pertain  to  Thy  people 
in  these  valleys  of  the  mountains.  And  all  the  praise 
and  glory  we  will  ascribe  to  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost.  Amen." 

In  after  years,  President  Kimball  predicted,  in  rela- 
tion to  this  temple,  that  when  its  walls  reached  the 
square  the  powers  of  evil  would  rage  and  the  Saints 
would  suffer  persecution.  The  walls  of  the  Salt  Lake 
Temple  "reached  the  square"  in  November,  1882,  eight 
months  after  the  passage  by  Congress  of  the  celebrated 
"Edmunds  law."  One  year  later,  in  November,  1883, 
occurred  the  trial  of  Rudger  Clawson  for  polygamy 
under  the  provisions  of  that  law,  in  the  Third  District 
Court  of  Utah  Territory.  This,  the  first  gun  of  the 
campaign,  was  the  signal  for  the  inauguration  of  an 
anti-Mormon  crusade,  which,  for  bitterness  and  cruelty, 
takes  rank  in  the  history  of  religious  persecution  with 
the  deeds  of  the  dark  ages.  Thus  was  fulfilled  another 
prediction  of  the  prophet  Heber,  fifteen  years  after  his 
mortal  eyes  were  closed  in  death. 

The  character  of  those  early  times,  the  condition  of 
the  people,  and  the  part  played  by  President  Kimball  as 


410  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

a  public  teacher,  are  further  shown  in  the  following^ 
selections  from  his  sermons,  in  which  he  deals  more  or 
less  with  the  temporal  situation : 

In  August,  1853,  we  find  him  addressing  the  Saints 
in  the  Tabernacle  as  follows : 

"I  know  you  will  prosper  and  live  in  peace  in  the 
mountains  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  be  perfectly 
independent.  You  will  have  food  and  raiment,  houses 
and  lands,  flocks  and  herds,  and  everything  your  hearts 
can  desire,  that  there  is  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  if  you 
but  do  as  you  are  told.  You  will  live  in  peace  and  God 
will  be  your  defence. f  I  have  said  often,  you 

may  write  blessings  for  yourselves,  and  insert  every  good 
thing  you  can  think  of,  and  it  will  all  come  to  pass  on 
your  heads,  IF  YOU  DO  RIGHT."  *  * 

"The  Lord  can  turn  the  nations  as  I  can  an 
obedient  horse.  They  are  governed  and  controlled  by 
the  Almighty  as  much  as  we  are.  What  can  they  do 
against  us  ?  Why,  nothing  whatever,  but  if  we  do  not 
do  right  they  will  be  a  scourge  in  the  hands  of  God  to 
scourge  us,  just  as  the  Indians  are  at  this  time. 
There  never  would  have  been  a  disturbance  if  this 
people  had  done  as  they  were  told.  There  is  not  a 
settlement  in  these  mountains  but  were  instructed  by 
Brother  Brigham  to  build  good  forts  and  live  in  them. 
Have  any  of  them  built  forts?  *  *  The  Indians  are 
now  upon  us,  and  our  brethren  are  scattered  off,  three, 
four  and  five  families  in  a  place,  exposed  to  the  Laman- 


t  In  the  same  spirit,  a  few  years  later,  Aug.  30,  1857,  Heber  uttered  this  stirring 
prophecy:  "  Wake  up,  ye  Saints  of  the  Most  High,  and  prepare  for  any  emergency  that 
the  Lord  our  God  may  have  pleasure  in  bringing  forth  !  We  never  shall  leave  these 
valleys — till  we  get  ready ;  no,  never :  no,  never  !  We  will  live  here  till  we  go  back  to 
Jackson  County,  Missouri.  I  prophesy  that,  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God."  The  con- 
gregation shouted  "Amen,''  and  President  Young  said,  "  It  is  true." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  41  I 

''There  are  a  few  things  I  wanted  to  say.  One  is, 
TAKE  CARE  OF  YOUR  GRAIN  ;  for  it  is  of  more  worth  to  you 
than  gold  and  silver.  I  know  you  will  see  harder  times 
before  another  harvest  than  you  have  seen  this  season. 
There  is  enough,  and  we  need  never  want  bread,  but  if 
we  do  not  take  the  right  course  we  are  sure  to  see 
sorrow,  and  THE  GREATEST  YOU  HAVE  EVER  SEEN." 

Mark  the  stress  laid  upon  the  subject  of  storing 
up  grain  for  a  day  of  famine.  This  theme  forms  almost 
the  staple  of  President  Kimball's  sermons  for  the  next 
three  years.  With  the  eye  of  faith  he  saw  the  famine 
afar  off,  and  strove  with  all  the  power  of  his  earnest 
and  prophetic  nature  to  impress  this  fact  upon  the  minds 
of  his  hearers,  that  they  might  be  prepared  for  the 
gaunt  spectre's  coming.  But  they  heeded  him  not,  to 
any  general  extent,  and  in  due  time  suffered  the  conse- 
quences of  their  neglect. 

A  year  later  he  touched  on  the  subject  of  home 
manufactures : 

"Will  the  time  ever  be  that  we  can  make  our 
clothing?  We  nearly  can  at  this  time.  I  would  like  to 
see  the  people  take  a  course  to  make  their  own  clothing, 
make  their  own  machinery,  their  own  knives  and  their 
own  forks,  and  everything  else  we  need,  for  the  day  will 
come  when  we  will  be  under  the  necessity  of  doing  it,  for 
trouble  and  perplexity,  war  and  famine,  bloodshed  and 
fire,  and  thunder  and  lightning  will  roll  upon  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  insomuch  that  we  cannot  get  to  them,  nor 
they  to  us." 

The  next  is  a  retrospective  glimpse: 

"I  was  one  of  the  first,  in  connection  with  President 
Young,  who  came  to  this  valley  when  it  was  a  desolate 
region,  and  we  could  not  even  get  a  chart  from  Fremont 
nor  from  any  other  man,  from  which  to  learn  the  course 


412  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

to  this  place.  I  was  one  who  helped  to  pick  out  the 
road.  When  we  got  to  the  upper  ferry  of  Platte  River, 
half  of  our  company  had  not  a  mouthful  of  bread.  I 
recollect  one  day,  I  believe  it  was  on  the  Platte,  Brother 
Brigham  said  to  me,  'Brother  Heber,  what  do  you  think 
about  it,  do  you  think  we  shall  go  any  further?  '  I  knew 
he  asked  this  question  to  try  me.  I  replied,  I  wanted  to 
go  the  whole  journey  and  find  some  white  sandstone  and 
see  what  there  was  in  the  earth.  There  never  was  a  day 
when  I  would  not  go  with  him  until  we  found  a  location. 
I  knew  there  was  a  place  somewhere,  though  at  times  the 
prospect  appeared  dreary.  But  here  it  was  on  high.  It 
is  the  best  country  I  ever  saw." 

By  this  time  the  approach  of  the  famine  was  begin- 
ning to  be  felt.  In  the  course  of  some  remarks  at  a 
special  conference  in  Provo,  July  I3th,  1855,  President 
Kimball  said: 

"Perhaps  many  feel  a  little  sober  because  our  bread 
is  cut  off,  but  I  am  glad  of  it,  because  it  will  be  a  warn- 
ing to  us,  and  teach  us  to  lay  it  up  in  future,  as  we  have 
been  told.  How  many  times  have  you  been  told  to  store 
up  your  wheat  against  the  hard  times  that  are  coming 
upon  the  nations  of  the  earth?  When  we  first  came  into 
these  valleys  our  President  told  us  to  lay  up  stores  of  all 
kinds  of  grain  that  the  earth  might  rest  once  in  seven 
years.  The  earth  is  determined  to  rest,  and  it  is  right 
that  it  should.  It  only  requires  a  few  grasshoppers  to 
make  the  earth  rest,  they  can  soon  clear  it.  This  is  the 
seventh  year;  did  you  ever  think  of  it?" 

Then  came  the  famine,  the  second  one  in  the  history 
of  the  Saints,  in  fulfillment  of  the  warning  words  of  their 
prophets  and  seers.  It  was  the  famine  of  1856. 


CHAPTER   LX. 

THE    FAMINE    OF    '56 HEBER    A    SECOND    JOSEPH A  SAVIOR 

TO     HIS     PEOPLE VILATE     A     MINISTERING     ANGEL A 

STRANGE     PIECE     OF     COUNSEL PRESIDENT     KIMBALlAs 

LETTERS,   DESCRIPTIVE"  OF  THE  FAMINE,  TO  HIS  SON  WIL- 
LIAM,  IN  ENGLAND. 

IN  this  famine,  which  was  likened  unto  the  famine  of 
Egypt,  Heber  C.  Kimball  played  a  part  like  unto  that  of 
Joseph  of  old ;  feeding  from  his  own  bins  and  store- 
houses, filled  by  his  providence  and  foresight  in  antici- 
pation of  the  straitness  of  the  times,  the  hungry  mul- 
titude— kindred,  strangers  and  all — who  looked  to  him 
for  succor.  His  own  family  were  put  upon  short  rations, 
to  enable  him  to  minister  more  effectually  to  the  wants 
of  others. 

He  had  taken  his  own  counsel,  and  stored  up  grain 
for  the  famine  he  had  predicted,  and  when  the  time  of 
scarcity  came  he  had  on  hand  thousands  of  bushels  of 
wheat,  with  bran  and  shorts,  corn  and  barley  in  abun- 
dance; all  of  which,  however,  was  used  before  the  next 
harvest-time. 

Several  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  he  lent  to  Presi- 
dent Young,  to  help  feed  those  who  were  dependent  on 
the  President,  while  he  himself  personally  undertook  to 
relieve  hundreds  of  the  poor  of  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  following  letter  from  Bishop  John  B.  Maiben 
forms  an  interesting  link  in  the  historic  chain  of  that 
period : 


414  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"MANTI,  SANPETE  Co., 

"January  i6th,  1877. 
"S.  F.  Kimball* 

"Salt  Lake  City, 

"DEAR  BROTHER: — In  answer  to  your 
enquiries  in  relation  to  the  flour  I  distributed  for  your 
father,  I  will  say : 

"That  during  the  early  part  of  the  year  1856,  in  what 
is  known  as  the  "time  of  the  famine,"  when  a  great  many 
persons  who  in  other  respects  were  esteemed  well  to  do, 
were  under  the  necessity  of  eating  thistle  roots,  sego 
roots  and  other  wild  plants  for  sustenance  of  themselves 
and  families,  owing  to  the  extreme  scarcity  of  breadstuff, 
there  being  none  in  the  market  at  any  price ;  at  this 
critical  juncture  President  Heber  C.  Kimball,  who  had 
by  wise  economy  and  prescient  forethought  garnered  up 
a  quantity  of  surplus  grain,  requested  my  assistance  to 
distribute  flour  to  the  families  of  the  Saints  in  small 
quantities  adapted  to  their  number  and  necessity,  charg- 
ing them  only  $6.00  per  100  Ibs,  then  the  standard  Tith- 
ing Office  price.  Although  there  was  no  flour  in  the 
market,  still  some  individuals  were  selling  at  $25.  to  $30. 
per  100  Ibs.  To  the  best  of  my  recollection  some  20,000 
to  30,000  Ibs.  of  flour  were  thus  distributed  in  various 
amounts,  varying  from  five  to  fifty  Ibs.,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  family. 

"This  act  of  generosity  and  fatherly  care  on  the 
part  of  the  late  Heber  C.  Kimball  was  only  in  keeping 
with  his  general  character  as  a  man  of  sterling  integrity 
and  a  faithful  steward  before  the  Lord  to  his  fellow-men, 
and  thus  his  memory  is  justly  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of 
the  Saints,  who  fondly  cherish  the  hope  to  enjoy  his 
society  after  a  glorious  resurrection. 

"Yours  Very  Truly, 

"J.  B.  MAIBEN." 

Many  are  the  acts  of  mercy  and  charity  related  of 
President  Kimball  and  his  family,  especially  his  noble 
and  unselfish  partner,  Vilate,  during  this  time  of  sore 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  415 

distress.  They  kept  an  open  house,  and  fed  from 
twenty-five  to  one  hundred  poor  people  at  their  table, 
daily,  besides  making  presents  innumerable  of  bread, 
flour  and  other  necessaries,  which  were  then  literally 
worth  their  weight  in  gold.* 

It  was  Vilate's  chief  delight  to  sally  forth  with  a 
basket  on  her  arm,  filled  with  nicely  cooked  edibles  and 
little  domestic  comforts,  and  seek  out  some  poor, 
obscure  person,  in  need  of  help,  though  perhaps  too 
proud  or  timid  to  make  it  known.  She  would  often  go 
to  the  houses  of  such  persons,  on  finding  that  they  were 
away  from  home,  and  provide  for  their  needs  in  their 
absence,  in  order  that  they  might  meet  a  glad  surprise 
on  their  return,  without  knowing  the  good  angel  who 
had  visited  them. 

It  is  related  that,  during  this  famine,  a  brother, 
sorely  in  need  of  bread,  came  to  President  Kimball  for 
counsel  how  to  procure  it. 

"Go  and  marry  a  wife,"  was  Heber's  terse  reply, 
after  relieving  the  immediate  wants  of  the  applicant. 

Thunderstruck  at  receiving!  such  an  answer  at  such 
a  time,  when  he  could  hardly  provide  food  for  himself, 
the  man  went  his  way,  dazed  and  bewildered,  thinking 
that  President  Kimball  must  be  out  of  his  mind.  Rut 
the  more  he  thought  of  the  prophetic  character  and 
calling  of  the  one  who  had  given  him  this  strange  advice, 
the  less  he  felt  like  ignoring  it.  Finally  he  resolved  to 
obey  counsel,  let  the  consequences  be  what  they  might. 
But  where  was  the  woman  who  would  marry  him  ?  was 
the  next  problem.  Bethinking  himself  of  a  widow  with 

•s>  While  thus  feeding  the  poor  on  the  best  that  her  larder  afforded,  Vilate  would 
send  her  own  children  into  the  fields  to  dig  roots  (artichokes)  which  she  would  cook  for 
them.  This,  with  coarse  corn  bread,  while  her  guests  were  served  with  wheaten  bread, 
potatoes  and  boiled  beef,  was  the  frequent  diet  of  the  Kimball  family  during  the 
famine  of  "  fifty-six.1' 


41 6  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

several  children,  who  he  thought  might  be  induced  to 
share  her  lot  with  him,  he  mustered  up  courage,  pro- 
posed and  was  accepted. 

In  that  widow's  house  was  laid  up  a  six  months' 
store  of  provisions ! 

Meeting  President  Kimball  shortly  afterwards,  the 
now  prosperous  man  of  family  exclaimed : 

"Well,  Brother  Heber,   I  followed  your  advice — " 

"Yes,"  said  the  man  of  God,  "and  you  found 
bread." 

President  Kimball's  letters  to  his  son  William,  who 
was  then  in  England,  will  fully  tell  the  story  of  the 
famine,  and  also  many  of  the  current  events  of  that 
period  : 

"GREAT  SALT  LAKE  CITY, 

"February  29,  1856. 

"To  MY  DEAR  SON  WILLIAM,  AND  TO  ALL  WHOM  IT  MAY 
CONCERN : 

"My  family,  with  yours,  are  all  in  good  health  and 
spirits.  I  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  rationing 
my  family,  and  also  yours,  to  two-thirds  of  a  pound  of 
breadstuff  per  day  each ;  as  the  last  week  is  up  to-day, 
we  shall  commence  on  half  a  pound  each — at  the  same 
time  they  all  begin  to  look  better  and  fatter,  and  more 
ruddy,  like  the  English.  This  I  am  under  the  necessity 
of  doing.  Brother  Brigham  told  me  to-day  that  he  had 
put  his  family  on  half  a  pound  each,  for  there  is  scarcely 
any  grain  in  the  country,  and  there  are  thousands  that 
have  none  at  all  scarcely.  We  do  this  for  the  purpose 
of  feeding  hundreds  that  have  none. 

"My  family  at  this  time  consists  of  about  one  hun- 
dred souls,  and  I  suppose  that  I  feed  about  as  many  as 
one  hundred  besides. 

"My  mill  has  not  brought  me  in,  for  the  last  seven 
months,  over  one  bushel  of  toll  per  day,  in  consequence 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  417 

of  the  dry  weather,  and  the  water  being  frozen  up— 
which  would  not  pay  my  miller.  When  this  drought 
came  on,  I  had  about  seven  hundred  bushels  of  wheat, 
and  it  is  now  reduced  to  about  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  bushels,  and  I  have  only  about  twenty-five  bushels 
of  corn,  which  will  not  provide  for  my  own  family  until 
harvest.  Heber  has  been  to  the  mill  to-day,  and  has 
brought  down  some  unbolted  flour,  and  we  shall  be 
under  the  necessity  of  eating  the  bran  along  with  the 
flour,  and  shall  think  ourselves  doing  well  with  half  a 
pound  a  day  at  that.  *  *  *  We  have  some  meat  and 
perhaps  about  seventy  bushels  of  potatoes,  also  a  very 
few  beets  and  carrots ;  so  you  can  judge  whether  or  not 
we  can  get  through  until  harvest  without  digging  roots  ; 
still  we  are  altogether  better  off  than  the  most  of  the 
people  in  these  valleys  of  the  mountains.  There  are 
several  wards  in  this  city  who  have  not  over  two  weeks' 
provisions  on  hand. 

"I  went  into  the  tithing  office  with  Brother  Hill  and 
examined  it  from  top  to  bottom,  and,  taking  all  the 
wheat,  corn,  buckwheat  and  oats,  there  were  not  to 
exceed  five  hundred  bushels,  which  is  all  the  public 
works  have,  or  expect  to  have,  and  the  works  are  pretty 
much  abandoned,  the  men  having  been  all  turned  off, 
except  about  fifteen  who  are  at  work  on  Brother  Brig- 
ham's  house  and  making  some  seed  drills  for  grain,  as  we 
will  be  obliged  to  put  in  our  grain  by  drilling,  on  account 
of  the  scarcity,  which  probably  will  not  take  over  one- 
third  of  the  grain  it  would  to  sow  broadcast. 

"We  shall  probably  not  do  anything  on  the  public 
works  until  another  harvest.  The  mechanics  of  every 
class  have  all  been  counseled  to  abandon  their  pursuits 
and  go  to  raising  grain.  This  we  are  literally  compelled 
to  do,  out  of  necessity.  Moreover,  there  is  not  a  settle- 
ment in  the  Territory  but  is  also  in  the  same  fix  that  we 
are.  Some  settlements  can  go  two  months,  some  three, 
some  can,  probably,  at  the  rate  of  half  a  pound  per  day, 
till  harvest.  Hon.  A.  W.  Babbitt  even  went  to  Brother 
Hyde's  provision  store  the  other  day,  and  begged  to  get 
twenty  or  twenty-five  pounds  of  flour,  but  could  not. 


27 


41 8  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

This  I  was  told  by  William  Price  who  is  the  salesman  of 
the  store.  Money  will  not  buy  flour  or  meal,  only  at  a 
few  places,  and  but  very  little  at  that.  I  can  assure  you 
that  I  am  harrassed  constantly ;  I  sell  none  for  money 
but  let  it  go  where  people  are  truly  destitute.  Dollars 
and  cents  do  not  count  now,  in  these  times,  for  they  are 
the  tightest  that  I  have  ever  seen  in  the  Territory  of 
Utah.  You  and  your  brethren  can  judge  a  little  by  this. 
As  one  of  the  old  Prophets  said,  anciently,  'as  with  the 
people  so  with  the  Priest/  we  all  take  it  together. 

"Some  of  the  people  drop  many  big  tears,  but  if 
they  cannot  learn  wisdom  by  precept,  nor  by  example, 
they  must  learn  it  by  what  they  suffer. 

"Now  is  the  time  for  us  to  be  like  unto  Joseph  of 
old — lay  up  stores  for  ourselves,  and  our  children  ;  and 
thousands,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  from  the  old 
world,  the  United  States,  and  North  and  South  America 
will  flee  to  this  place  to  get  down  by  the  side  of  Joseph's 
cribs,  and  granaries,  and  storehouses,  to  get  that  which 
will  sustain  life  from  "these  poor  deluded  creatures" 
that  they  drove  from  the  United  States,  and  were  not  will- 
ing that  they  should  have  shelter  in  the  land  of  their 
birth,  and  the  privilege  of  worshiping  our  God  and  our 
Father  who  organized  and  prepared  this  earth  for  His 
•children,  and  those  who  would  keep  His  commandments ; 
and  killed  our  Prophet,  our  Patriarch,  and  Apostles,  and 
hundreds  of  others  and  thousands  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  the  widows  and  fatherless,  who  died  on  the 
plains  in  consequence  of  their  oppression.  Will  they 
receive  the  rod  in  consequence  of  this  ?  Yes,  I  can  say  in 
truth,  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God,  they  shall  receive  four- 
fold pressed  down.  I  can  say  in  my  heart,  I  wish  to  God 
this  people  would  all  listen  to  counsel,  and  do  at  the 
start  as  they  are  told,  and  move  as  one  man,  and  be  on,e. 
If  this  were  the  case,  our  enemies  would  never  have  any 
more  power  over  us,  our  granaries  never  would  be 
empty,  nor  would  we  see  sorrow.  There  is  not  a  good, 
wise,  humble  Saint  that  is  filled  with  the  elements  of 
eternal  lives,  but  what  knows  that  this  is  true  as  well 
as  myseli".  * 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  419 

"Now,  as  to  my  own  stock  — cattle,  horses  and 
sheep.  My  sheep  are  on  Antelope  Island.  Peter  Han- 
son is  with  them,  and  Joseph  Toronto  is  with  Brother 
Brigham's,  five  miles  beyond.  Some  portions  of  the 
Island  are  covered  with  snow  nearly  three  feet  deep. 
The  sheep  range  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains  where 
the  wind  has  blown  off  the  snow,  and  they  do  first  rate. 
My  cattle,  sixty  head  of  them,  were  put  in  Cache  valley 
with  the  church  cattle,  and  those  of  other  individuals, 
numbering  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  head,  with 
some  forty  or  fifty  horses,  some  six  or  eight  of  which 
were  mine.  When  the  snow  fell  in  that  valley  about  ten 
inches  deep,  the  fatter  portion  of  the  cattle  broke  and 
came  over  into  Box  Elder  and  Weber  valleys,  and  scat- 
tered hither  and  thither.  It  is  supposed  that  one-half  of 
those  two  thousand  five  hundred  head  are  dead. 
Whether  mine  are  all  dead  I  know  not.  My  John  horse 
fled  out  of  that  valley  down  on  the  Weber  and  died. 
Old  Jim,  Elk,  Kit  and  Kurley  remained  in  Cache  valley, 
and  they  were  with  about  forty  head  of  other  horses 
when  last  seen,  but  they  have  not  been  heard  of  for  a 
considerable  time,  and  whether  living  or  dead  we  know 
not.  The  snow  is  about  waist  deep  in  that  valley. 
Week  before  last,  Heber  and  some  other  boys  started  to 
go  there,  but  when  they  got  to  the  divide  between  that 
valley  and  Box  Elder,  the  snow  was  about  twelve  feet 
deep,  and  they  were  obliged  to  return.  Heber  found  the 
Lize  mare  and  your  two  mules  on  the  Wreber,  and 
brought  them  home.  They  were  so  poor  that  they 
almost  staggered. 

"The  Carr  boys  have  lost  most  all  of  their  cattle, 
as  they  were  in  Cache  valley.  Old  Daddy  Stump  went 
there  also,  and  most  of  his  died.  Brother  Shurtliff  had 
some  ninety  cows  of  Brother  Brigham's,  and  he  says 
that  they  are  all  dead  except  ten  or  a  dozen.  Brothers 
Hooper  and  Williams  told  me  that  they  had  lost  about 
seven  hundred  head.  Mr.  Kerr,  a  Gentile,  told  me 
that  he  had  six  or  seven  hundred  head,  and  they  were 
all  dead.  Messrs.  Gilbert  and  Gerrish  had  about  as 
many,  and  they  are  all  dead,  as  are  also  Livingston  and 


42O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Bell's,  and,  from  the  accounts  from  all  the  brethren 
north  of  this  place,  we  learn  that  they  have  lost  half  of 
their  stock,  and  this  destruction  seems  to  be  more  or 
less  throughout  the  Territory,  and  many  cattle  and  horses 
are  dying  in  the  city.  There  may  be  more  or  less  of 
these  cattle  living,  but  they  are  scattered  from  the 
Malad  to  this  place.  There  are  some  forty  head  of 
cattle  on  the  Island,  probably  living. 

uSome  of  the  Indians  have  killed  some  cattle  in 
Utah  Valley.  Judge  Drummond,  being  there,  issued  a 
writ  for  them.  T J had  the  writ,  and  sum- 
moned a  posse,  without  consulting  Brother  Brigham,  and, 
anxious  to  obtain  a  few  dimes  from  Uncle  Sam,  went 
over  to  Cedar  Valley,  and  came  to  the  lodge  where  the 
Indians  were.  Battest  drew  his  rifle  upon  George  Parish, 
who  warded  it  off  on  firing,  and  one  of  the  brethren 
drew  a  revolver,  and  shot  Battest  through  the  head,  and 
he  fell  dead.  In  a  very  short  time  after  this  three  of  our 
brethren  were  found  dead ;  one  of  their  names  was 
Carson.  They  were  herd  boys.  Brother  Hunsaker's 
son  has  never  been  found  yet — supposed  to  be  dead. 
Last  evening  we  received  news  that  two  more  of  the 
brethren  were  dead,  and  one  mortally  wounded,  and 
that  the  horses  were  taken  from  the  company  who  were 
going  to  get  back  some  of  the  cattle  from  the  Indians. 
It  happened  in  the  cedars,  between  Rush  and  Cedar 
valleys,  the  brethren  not  expecting  any  Indians  were 
anywhere  about. 

"The  more  reckless  portion  of  the  Indians  have 
gathered  together,  and  taken  something  over  one  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  horses,  and  the  last  we  heard, 
they  were  making  their  way  toward  the  Sevier,  taking 
the  west  side  of  the  mountains,  on  the  borders  of  the 
desert.  General  Wells  has  issued  orders  to  Gen. 
Cownover  to  raise  men  and  pursue  them,  and  take  away 
the  cattle  from  them.  We  have  received  no  news  as 
yet  from  this  company.  This  difficulty  has  arisen  from 
our  Judges,  Kinney  and  Drummond,  and  some  of  our 
foolish  brethren  who  are  ready  to  run  at  their  nod. 

There  have  been  courts  in  session  here  for  weeks 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  421 

and  weeks,  and  I  suppose  that  one  hundred  and  fifty  or 
two  hundred  of  the  brethren  have  been  hanging  around, 
with  the  council  house  filled  to  the  brim.  This  scenery 
continuing  for  a  long  time,  one  day  Brother  Brigham  sent 
Thomas  Bullock  to  take  their  names,  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  them  missions,  if  they  had  not  anything  to  do  of 
any  more  importance.  So  Brother  Brigham  counseled 
me  to  make  a  selection — for  Los  Vegas  some  thirty, 
who  are  ordered  to  sell  their  possessions  and  go  with  their 
families  as  soon  as  the  weather  will  permit,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  going  down  on  to  the  Rio  Virgin  to  raise  cotton  ; 
Another  company  of  forty-eight  to  go  to  Green  River  to 
strengthen  up  that  settlement,  make  farms,  build  mills, 
etc.,  and  some  thirty-five  or  forty  to  go  north  to 
Salmon  River,  where  Thomas  J.  Smith  is,  to  strengthen 
up  that  post;  some  thirty  to  go  to  Carson  Valley  to 
strengthen  that  post;  some  thirty  to  go  into  the  lead 
business  near  the  Los  Vegas ;  and  eight  to  go  to  the 
East  Indies.  There  are  eighteen  called  to  Europe,  and 
seven  to  Australia. 

"We  left  Fillmore  on  the  day  of  the  adjournment 
of  the  Legislature,  which  took  place  at  five  o'clock  A.  M. 
We  got  home  in  about  four  days. 

"The  Deseret  Dramatic  Association  are  now  per- 
forming on  the  evenings  of  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays ; 
"She  stoops  to  Conquer"  comes  off  for  the  second  time 
to-morrow  night.  A  benefit  to  Bernard  Snow  is  to  be 
given  on  Monday  night,  when  will  be  played,  'Vir- 
ginius.' 

"Brother  Smoot  has  made  a  selection  of  one  hun- 
dred men,  principally  young  men,  to  go  back  with  ox 
teams  to  fetch  on  the  Church  goods  that  lie  in  Missouri 
and  St.  Louis,  if  there  are  cattle  enough  left  alive  to  do 
so.  Your  brother  David,  Brigham  Young,  Jr.,  and 
George  Grant's  son  George,  will  go  with  them. 

"Heber  and  Phoebe  are  living  with  Ruth  and  Chris- 
teen.  Heber  is  a  very  steady,  good  boy,  and  takes  a 
great  burden  from  my  shoulders,  by  waiting  on  the  fam- 
ily and  seeing  to  things. 

"You  can  say  to  the  brethren  that  I  see  their  wives 


422  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

occasionally  at  the  public  places.  They  are  all  well  so 
far  as  I  know ;  I  have  all  I  can  do  and  no  time  to  visit. 
Say  to  all  the  brethren  that  they  are  most  kindly  remem- 
bered by  me.  I  would  be  glad  to  write  to  them  all. 

"This  letter  is  for  the  benefit  of  all,  as  it  gives  the 
general  news.  We  shall  expect  to  see  you  home  next 
season,  as  Brother  Brigham  has  sent  word,  which  you 
will  get  before  you  get  this. 

"God  bless  Brother  Franklin,  Brother  Spencer,  your- 
self, with  all  the  rest  of  the  brethren.  Your  dear  mother 
is  sitting  beside  me  and  wishes  to  be  remembered  kindly 
to  her  son  William. 

"Brother  Brigham  and  all  the  brethren  are  well  and 
would  say,  if  they  were  present,  Amen. 

"  From  your  father  in  the  gospel  of  your  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ,  to  his  son;  William  H.  Kimball. 

"HEBER  C.  KIMBALL." 

The  story  is  continued  in  his  letter  of  a  later  date, 
as  follows : 

"GREAT  SALT  LAKE  CITY, 

"April  1 3th,  1856. 
"Mv  SON  WILLIAM: 

"We  have  not  received  a  line  from  you  or  Daniel 
since  August  iQth,  and  all  the  news  that  we  have  received 
was  from  a  business  letter  that  came  from  Franklin,  by 
the  last  southern  mail.  * 

"As  to  matters  at  home,  things  are  going  on  in 
peace,  with  the  exception  of  the  disturbances  with  some 
of  the  Utes.  They  have  killed  eight  of  our  brethren  in 
Utah,  and  drove  away  many  cattle  and  horses. 

"The  times  are  said  to  be  more  close  this  season  than 
they  have  ever  been  in  the  valleys  ;  and  this  is  universal 
through  all  the  settlements.  There  are  not  more  than 
one-half  of  the  people  that  have  bread,  and  they  have 
not  more  than  one-half  or  one-quarter  of  a  pound  a  day 
to  a  person.  A  great  portion  of  the  people  are  digging 
roots,  and  hundreds  and  thousands,  their  teams  being 
dead,  are  under  the  necessity  of  spading  their  ground  to 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  423 

put  in  their  grain.  There  is  a  pretty  universal  break 
with  our  merchants,  as  there  is  no  one  to  buy  their  goods, 
and  their  stock  are  mostly  dead.  My  family,  with  yours, 
have  only  one-half  a  pound  of  bread-stuff  to  a  person,  a 
day.  We  have  vegetables  and  a  little  meat.  We  are 
doing  first  rate,  and  have  no  cause  but  to  be  very  thank- 
ful ;  still  I  feed  hundreds  of  others,  a  little,  or  they  must 
suffer.  Brother  Brigham,  myself,  and  others  have  been 
crying  unto  this  people  for  more  than  three  years,  to  lay 
up  their  grain  for  a  time  when  they  would  have  much 
need  of  it.  My  family,  with  yours,  I  can  say  with  pro- 
priety, look  more  healthy,  and  fair,  and  rugged,  and  ath- 
letic, than  they  did  when  they  had  plenty  to  eat.  *  * 

"I  shall  be  very  glad  when  you  return  home  to  take 
a  little  of  my  burden  off  my  shoulders,  for  it  has  been 
extremely  hard  for  me  and  your  mother  to  calculate, 
devise  and  administer  to  near  one  hundred  that  are 
dependent  on  us,  besides  hundreds  of  others  that  are 
teasing  us  constantly  for  something  to  eat;  still  your 
father  has  got  a  spirit  in  him  that  is  like  an  old  lion,  that 
endures  by  the  help  of  the  Almighty ;  but  your,  mother 
is  very  sympathetic,  and  it  gives  her  much  sorrow,  not 
because  your  children  and  mine  cry  for  bread,  but 
because  of  others.  There  was  no  need  of  my  rationing 
my  family,  but  I  did  it  for  the  sake  of  keeping  hundreds 
of  others  alive.  I  foresaw  these  times  more  than  three 
years  ago,  and  prepared  myself,  more  or  less,  for  it. 

#  $  :!:  #  #  :J: 

"This  people  have  been  told  to  build  forts  around 
their  cities,  and  gather  up  together  and  be  one,  and  to 
build  store-houses  and  lay  up  grain  to  last  seven  years, 
and  hundreds  of  other  things.  Have  they  done  it?  No. 
What  is  the  consequence?  Eight  more  of  our  brethren 
slain  !  No  bread  !  No  clothing  except  what  we  buy  of 
the  ungodly,  when  they  are  universally  taught  to  make 
their  clothing,  so  that  we  may  be  independent  of  any  of 
the  nations ;  for  the  connection  between  us  and  the 
world  will  be  closed,  in  a  measure.  This  you  and  your 
brethren  in  the  old  world  can  see  through  a  glass  clearly, 
not  darkly.  War,  death,  desolation  of  nations,  famine 


424  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

and  desolating  sickness,  are  becoming  prevalent  through- 
out the  old  world,  and  in  the  United  States  it  will  be 
more  so,  and  that  soon,  and  they  (the  United  States)  will 
have  all  they  can  do  to  attend  to  their  own  concerns  at 
home,  without  troubling  themselves  about  the  Mormons. 

"At  our  April  conference  there  were  about  three 
hundred  missionaries  selected  for  different  missions  ; 
some  thirty  or  forty  to  go  to  Europe  and  the  United 
States,  and  about  one  hundred  to  Carson  Valley,  to  try 
to  sustain  that  place ;  a  large  company  to  Green  River, 
another  to  Los  Vegas  and  another  to  Salmon  River.  All 
business  is  given  up  for  the  present  on  the  public  works. 
Not  much  of  any  building  is  going  on  in  the  city,  as  all 
mechanics  are  advised  to  go  to  tilling  the  earth.  The 
majority  of  the  people  feel  well ;  your  mother's  health  is 
rather  poor,  still  she  is  about.  I  see  Mary  and  Melissa 
and  the  children  every  day.  Helen,  your  sister,  has  just 
come  in  with  the  little  Vilate — well,  Heber,  David  and  all 
the  boys,  with  all  the  family,  are  well,  and  say,  '  Give  my 
kind  love  to  brother  William,  and  all  the  faithful  Elders/ 
I  am  still  continuing  my  own  improvements,  making  good 
rock  fence  and  setting  out  many  fruit  trees. 

"Now  I  will  come  to  a  close  by  saying,  God  bless 
you  and  Franklin,  Daniel  and  all  in  that  land,  and  all 
that  believe  on  your  words.  Even  so,  amen. 

"HEBER  C.  KIMBALL." 

And  thus  did  this  father  in  Israel  not  only  give  to 
the  people  the  word  of  the  Lord  in  time  for  a  general 
provision  against  the  day  of  famine,  but  when  it  came, 
his  patriarchal  care  and  benevolence  were  the  means  of 
preserving  many  from  absolute  want,  and  some  perhaps 
from  starvation. 


CHAPTER    LXI. 

THE    HAND-CART    EMIGRATION PERISHING    IN    THE    SNOW 

HEROIC  CONDUCT   OF     WILLIAM    H.     AND    DAVID    P.    KIM- 
BALL — PRESIDENT  KIMBALL'S  PLEA  AND  EXERTIONS  IN 

BEHALF     OF     THE    SUFFERERS THE     UTAH     WAR THE 

GREAT    REBELLION. 

THE  year  1856  witnessed  another  calamity,  upon 
the  harrowing  details  of  which  it  would  indeed  be  pain- 
ful to  dwell.  It  was  the  year  of  the  famous  hand-cart 
emigration,  in  which  several  hundred  souls,  overtaken 
by  winter  on. the  plains,  perished  in  the  snows  and  from 
starvation. 

On  hearing  of  the  situation  of  these  poor  emigrants, 
the  most  strenuous  efforts  were  made  by  the  authorities 
and  the  people  in  the  Valley  to  rescue  them  from  their 
terrible  fate.  Presidents  Young,  Kimball  and  others 
despatched  all  their  teams,  loaded  with  bedding-  and  pro- 
visions, to  the  relief  of  the  sufferers,  and  prayers  in 
public  and  in  private  were  offered  up  throughout  the 
entire  Territory  for  the  deliverance  of  the  unfortunate 
companies  from  the  destruction  impending  over  them. 

Among  those  sent  out  to  meet  the  hand-carts,  were 
two  of  the  sons  of  President  Kimball,  William  H.  and 
David  P.,  the  former  of  whom  had  just  arrived  home 
from  England ;  also  Joseph  A.  Young,  George  W. 
Grant  and  others.  These  brave  men  by  their  heroism — 
for  it  was  at  the  peril  of  their  own  lives  that  they  thus 
braved  the  wintry  storms  on  the  plains — immortalized 
themselves,  and  won  the  undying  gratitude  of  hundreds 


426  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

who  were  undoubtedly  saved  by  their  timely  action  from 
perishing. 

David  P.  Kimball,  George  W.  Grant  and  C.  Allen 
Huntington  carried  upwards  of  five  hundred  of  these 
emigrants  on  their  backs  across  the  Sweetwater,  break- 
ing the  thin  ice  of  the  frozen  river  before  them,  as 
they  waded  from  shore  to  shore.  The  effects  of  the 
severe  colds  then  contracted  by  these  brethren,  remained 
with  them,  and  finally  conduced  to  the  death  of  the  two 
former,  while  the  survivor,  Brother  Huntington,  is  a 
sufferer  from  the  same  cause  to  this  day. 

The  situation  and  sufferings  of  the  emigrants  were 
the  main  theme  of  the  Tabernacle  discourses  at  the  time. 
President  Kimball  thus  refers  to  them  on  the  2nd  of 
November  of  that  fatal  year: 

"Some  find  fault  with  and  blame  Brother  Brigham 
and  his  council,  because  of  the  sufferings  they  have 
heard  that  our  brethren  are  enduring  on  the  plains.  *  *' 
But  let  me  tell  you  most  emphatically  that  if  all  who- 
were  entrusted  with  the  care  and  management  of  this 
year's  immigration  had  done  as  they  were  counseled  and 
dictated  by  the  First  Presidency  of  this  Church,  the 
sufferings  and  hardships  now  endured  by  the  companies 
on  their  way  here  would  have  been  avoided.  Why  ? 
Because  they  would  have  left  the  Missouri  river  in 
season,  and  not  have  been  hindered  until  into  September. 
Our  brethren  and  sisters  on  the  plains  are  in  my 
mind  all  the  time,  and  Brother  Brigham  has  given,  to 
those  who  wish  it,  the  privilege  of  going  back  to  help 
bring  them  in.  If  I  do  not  go  myself  I  will  send  a  team, 
though  I  have  already  sent  back  nearly  all  my  teams, 
and  so  has  Brother  Brigham.  Those  who  have  gone 
back  never  will  be  sorry  for  or  regret  having  done  so. 
If  brothers  Joseph  A.  Young,  my  son  William  H., 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  427 

George  D.  Grant,  and  my  son  David  P.  had  not  gone  to 
the  assistance  of  those  now  on  the  plains  I  should 
always  have  regretted  it.  If  they  die  during  the  trip, 
they  will  die  while  endeavoring  to  save  their  brethren ; 
and  who  has  greater  love  than  he  that  lays  down  his 
life  for  his  friends  ?" 

"Were  I  in  the  situation  of  some  of  you,  I  would 
not  sleep  another  night  before  starting  to  the  assistance 
of  the  people  that  are  now  struggling  through  the  snow. 
*  *  As  Brother  Brigham'has  said,  I  would  rather  be 
helping  in  those  on  the  plains  than  be  here,  if  circum- 
stances and  duty  would  permit.  We  offered  our  offer- 
ing and  started  to  go  but  the  Lord  ordered  it  otherwise 
and  we  came  home.  But  we  have  done  a  better  work 
than  if  we  had  gone.  *  *  There  would  have  been  no 
general  stir  in  behalf  of  our  brethren  on  the  plains ;  but 
scores  and  hundreds  have  now  gone  to  meet  them,  and 
they  have  had  good  weather  so  far,  have  they  not?" 

The  last  of  the  hand-cart  companies,  the  fifth  one  of 
the  season,  commanded  by  Edward  Martin,  arrived  in 
Salt  Lake  City  about  the  ist  of  December.  They  had 
numbered  nearly  six  hundred  souls  at  starting,  but  lost 
over  one-fourth  of  their  number  by  death. 

Let  the  curtain  fall  over  the  tragic  scene. 

During  the  exciting  period  of  the '  'Utah  War, ' '  the  sub- 
ject of  which,  treated  at  length,  would  cover  the  four  years 
from  1857  to  1 86 1,  the  time  of  the  sojourn  of  ''Johns- 
ton's army  "  in  the  valley,  Heber  was  one  with  Brigham 
in  the  bold  yet  patriotic  stand  taken  by  Zion's  leader  in 
repelling  the  hostile  invasion.  We  need  not  dwell  upon 
the  oft-told  tale.  President  Kimball  was  a  man  of 
peace,  and  not  of  war,  and,  though  not  lacking  in 
courage,  preferred  to  battle  with  error  and  the  powers 
of  evil,  than  with  his  fellow-men. 


428  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

In  the  spring  of  1858,  when  the  Saints,  to  the  num- 
ber of  30,000,  abandoned  their  homes  at  the  approach 
of  the  army.  President  Kimball  accompanied  the  exodus 
of  his  people  south  as  far  as  Provo,  whence  he  returned, 
after  peace  was  assured,  to  his  home  in  Salt  Lake  City  early 
in  July.  The  soldiers  had  marched  quietly  through  the 
deserted  city,  crossed  the  Jordan,  and  camped  at  Cedar 
Valley,  forty  miles  south-west,  opposite  the  town  of  Lehi, 
where  they  founded  Camp  Floyd,  afterwards  renamed 
Fort  Crittenden,  and  occupied  it  until  the  autum  of  1861, 
when  the  troops  were  withdrawn  to  take  part  in  the  war 
of  the  Great  Rebellion.* 

Apropos  of  the  war: — In  an  old  memorandum 
book  belonging  to  President  Kimball,  in  which  he  some- 
times noted  down  his  thoughts,  appears  the  following: 

'•GREAT  SALT  LAKE  CITY, 

''March  2;th,  1859. 

"The  word  of  the  Lord  to  me,  Heber  C.  Kimball. 
At  9  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  Lord  said  to  me  that 
division  would  take  place  between  the  north  and  south 
within  six  years,  and  much  blood  would  be  spilt,  and  I 
should  live  to  see  it." 


*  General  A.  S.  Johnston,  who  led  this  army  to  Utah,  fell  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh, 
April  6th  1S62,  fighting  on  the  side  of  the  Confederacy.  He  was  a  brave  and  brilliant 
so'.dier.  and  one  of  the  recognized  great  generals  of  the  war. 


CHAPTER  LXII. 

SOME  OF  HEBER'S  FAMILY    HISTORY A    PATRIARCHAL    HOUSE- 
HOLD  NAMES  OF  HIS  WIVES    AND    CHILDREN EPISODE 

OF  ABRAM  A.    KIM  BALL PETER,  THE  CHILD  OF  PROMISE 

HEBER    AT    FAMILY     PRAYERS DAVID      H.     KIMBALL/S 

STORY HEBER    P.    AND    SOLOMON    F.    KIMBALL     IN     THE 

BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

A  FEW  leaves  from  President  KimbaH's  domestic  life 
will  now  be  in  order.  His  was  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing, as  likewise  one  of  the  most  numerous  families  in 
the  Church.  Like  the  patriarchs  and  prophets  of  old, 
whose  example  he  religiously  followed,  he  was  the  hus- 
band of  many  wives  and  the  head  of  a  multitudinous 
posterity. 

Moreover,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  no  family  in  Israel, 
in  its  domestic  relations,  better  exemplified  the  true 
nature  and  purpose  of  the  polygamic  principle,  than  the 
family  of  Heber  C.  Kimball. 

That  much  of  this  was  due  to  his  wise  government 
and  upright  example,  none  who  knew  him  will  doubt,  but 
that  it  was  also  largely  the  result  of  the  nobility  of  char- 
acter displayed  by  the  true  and  faithful  women  who  hon- 
ored him  as  husband,  father  and  friend,  there  is  as  little 
room  for  question.  \Ve  can  only  regret  that  circum- 
stances uncontrollable  prevent  our  dwelling  in  detail 
upon  their  heroic  lives  and  virtues.  Only  here  and  there 
an  incident,  by  modesty  reluctantly  supplied,  has  been 
furnished  in  response  to  solicitation  for  the  purposes  of 
this  work. 


430  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

We  are  enabled,  however,  to  present  in  this  chapter 
a  complete  list  of  the  members  of  Heber's  family,  the 
names  of  the  wives  and  children  Which  God  had  given 
him,  with  whatever  incidents  relating  to  them  that  have 
come  into  the  author's  possession. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  fact  that, 
before  leaving  Nauvoo,  Heber,  like  many  of  his  brethren, 
had  entered  upon  his  career  as  a  polygamic  patriarch. 
The  story  of  Sarah  Noon,  his  second  wife,  has  been 
partly  told  in  a  former  chapter.  The  other  wives  we 
cannot  name  in  their  order,  but  will  speak  of  them  in 
proceeding  as  the  course  of  our  narrative  suggests. 

VILATE  MURRAY,*  Heber's  first  wife,  was  the  mother 
of  ten  children.  Their  names  are  as  follows : 

Judith  Marvin,* 

William  Henry, 

Helen  Mar, 

Roswell  Heber,* 

Heber  Parley,* 

David  Patten,* 

Charles  Spaulding, 

Brigham  Willard,* 

Solomon  Farnham, 

Murray  Gould.* 

Heber's  children  by  Sarah  Noon  were: 

Adelbert  Henry,* 

Sarah  Helen,* 

Heber.* 

Sarah,  it  will  be  re.membered,  was  a  widow  with  two 
little  daughters  when  he  married  her.  The  names  of 
these  children  were  Betsy  and  Harriet  Noon. 

After  the  death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph,  who  had  also 

The  star  attached  to  names  in  this  chapter  signifies  deceased. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  43 1 

taken  many  wives,  most  of  his  widows  were  married,  for 
time,  to  Brigham,  Heber  and  others  of  the  martyr's 
brethren.  The  wives  of  the  Prophet  who  wedded  Heber 
C.  Kimball  were  Sarah  Ann  Whitney,*  eldest  daughter 
of  Bishop  N.  K.  Whitney;  Lucy  Walker,  Prescindia 
Huntington,  Sarah  Lawrence,  Mary  Houston,  Martha 
McBride,f  Sylvia  P.  Sessions,*  Nancy  Maria  Smitlrj-  and 
Sarah  Scott.f 

The  children  of  the  first-named  are  as  follows : 

David,*          )  . 

David  O.,*    [  died  m  mfanc^ 

David  Heber, 

Newel  Whitney, 

Horace  Heber, 

Maria, 

Joshua, 

Newel  has  fulfilled  a  mission  to  the  Southern  States, 
and  is  now  an  acting  Bishop  of  the  Church  in  Logan, 
Cache  County,  Utah. 

Heber's  wife  Lucy  bore  to  him: — 

Rachel  Sylvia,* 

John  H., 

Willard  H.,* 

Lydia  H., 

Anna  S., 

Eliza, 

Washington, 

Franklin  H.* 

It  is  related  that  during  the  illness  of  the  boy  Wil- 
lard, who  died  in  infancy,  his  father  and  another  Elder 
were  administering  to  him,  when  the  latter  began  to 
promise  life,  a  speedy  recovery,  etc.,  to  the  little  sufferer. 


•f  Names  marked  thus,  whether  living  or  dead,  unknown. 


432  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

In  the  midst  of  it  Heber,  seized  with  a  sudden  inspira- 
tion, cried:  "Hold!"  The  Elder  paused,  they  took 
their  hands  from  off  the  child's  head,  and  he  died  in  a 
few  minutes. 

"  AUNT  PRESCINDIA,"  who  is  a  notable  woman  in 
Israel,  with  an  unwritten  history  of  great  interest,  is  the 
mother  of  two  children  by  Heber,  namely: 

Prescindia  Celestia,* 

Joseph. 

The  latter  is  the  Bishop  of  Meadowville,  Rich 
County,  Utah,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Territorial 
Legislature. 

The  other  widows  of  the  Prophet  who  married 
Heber,  had  no  children  by  him. 

Among  his  wives  when  he  came  out  of  Nauvoo,  were 
Clarissa  and  Emily  Cutler,  sisters,  both  the  daughters  of 
Alpheus  Cutler,  who  left  the  Church  while  at  Winter 
Quarters.  When  the  Saints  removed  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  Clarissa  and  Emily  remained  with  their 
father,  each  with  an  infant  son  in  arms.  Clarissa's  child 
was  named  Abram  A.,  and  Emily's,  Isaac  A.  Feeling 
impressed  that  their  mothers  would  never  come  to  the 
mountains,  Heber,  on  leaving  them  to  go  west  with  the 
pioneers,  blessed  his  little  sons  and,  while  his  hands  were 
upon  Abram's  head,  prophesied  that  he  would  some  day 
come  to  the  home  of  his  people,  and  would  afterwards 
return  for  his  brother  Isaac. 

There  was  a  fatality  in  his  father's  words,  as  usual. 

Fifteen  years  later,  the  mothers  of  both  boys  being 
dead,  Abram  came  to  Utah  and  joined  the  Church.  He 
was  baptized  by  Enoch  Reese,  under  his  father's  direc- 
tion. On  returning  to  the  house  after  his  baptism,  his 
father  confirmed  him,  ordained  him  an  Elder  and  set  him 
apart  for  a  mission  to  the  states,  to  go  and  bring  his 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  433 

brother  to  Utah,  thus  resealing  the  blessing  bestowed 
upon  him  in  his  childhood.  Abram  fulfilled  his  misson 
and  returned,  bringing  his  brother  with  him.  Isaac  also 
was  baptized,  and  he  and  Abram  afterwards  went  upon 
missions  to  Great  Britain.  The  latter  is  now  Bishop  of 
Kanosh,  Millard  County,  Utah. 

Another  incident  of  a  prophetic  nature  may  here  be 
noted.  One  of  Heber's  wives,  Mary  Ellen  Abel,  or 
"  Aunt  Mary  Ellen"  as  she  is  familiarly  known,  had  lived 
with  him  for  fourteen  years  and  no  child  had  blessed 
their  union.  Her  husband  prophesied  that  she  should 
bear  a  son,  and  his  name  should  be  Peter.  In  due  time 
the  son  was  born  and  named,  but  was  not  destined  to 
live  to  grow  to  manhood.  This  was  her  only  child. 

RUTH  REESE,  another  of  Heber's  wives,  was  the 
mother  of:— 

Susannah  R.,* 

Jacob  R.,* 

Enoch  H.* 

In  memory  we  yet  can  hear  the  well-known  voice  of 
Grandfather  Kimball,  calling  to  his  sons  in  stentorian 
tones:  "Abraham!  Isaac!  Jacob!  Come  in  to  prayers !" 
For  these  names,  with  many  others  of  Scriptural  origin, 
were  all  included  in  his  family  nomenclature. 

CHRISTEEX  GOLDEN,  who,  with  many  others,  was 
married  to  him  in  Nauvoo,  was  the  mother  of:— 

Cornelia  C;,* 

Jonathan  Golden, 

Elias  Smith, 

May  Margaret. 

Jonathan  and  Elias  both  have  been  on  missions  to 
the  Southern  States.  The  former  is  president  of  the 
Young  Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Associations  of 


28 


434  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Bear  Lake  Stake.  Elias  was  a  member  of  the  house 
branch  of  the  Utah  Legislature  during  its  twenty-eighth 
session,  January,  1888. 

The  Gheen  sisters,  Anna*  and  Amanda  were  like- 
wise among  his  "honorable  women."  The  issue  of  the 
first  marriage  was  as  follows : — 

Samuel  H., 

Daniel  H,, 

Andrew  H., 


A1.  r    twins. 

Alice, 

Sarah. 

Andrew  fulfilled  a  long  and  faithful  mission  to  the 
Indian  Territory  in  1885-6-7,  and  is  still  recognized  as 
the  president  of  that  mission.  He  is  the  present  admin- 
istrator of  the  Kimball  estate. 

AMANDA'S  children  are: 

William  G., 

Albert  H., 

Jeremiah,* 

Moroni. 

"Jerry"  was  accidentally  killed  by  falling  from  a 
railway  train,  between  Fort  Scott  and  Camas,  Kansas, 
on  the  night  of  May  25th,  1887,  while  on  his  way  to 
Europe  to  fulfill  a  mission. 

The  sisters  Harriet  and  Ellen  Sanders  next  occur 
to  mind.  The  latter  has  already  been  mentioned  as  one 
of  the  three  women  who  accompanied  the  pioneers  from 
Winter  Quarters  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  1847. 

HARRIET'S  offspring: — 

Harriet,* 

Hyrum  H., 

Eugene. 

(Hyrum  fulfilled  an  honorable  mission  to  the 
Southern  States.) 


LIFE  OF  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL.  435 

ELLEN'S  : — 

Samuel,* 

Joseph  S,*    ) 

Augusta,*    }    twins' 

Jedediah, 

Rosalia. 

FRANCES  SWAN,*  one  of  Heber's  wives  who  left  him, 
was  the  mother  of  one  child,  a  daughter  named  for  her- 
self. 

Heber  also  married  Martha  Knight,  f  by  whom  he 
had  one  child,  a  son ;  name  unknown. 

One  of  his  last  wives  was  Mary  Smithies,*  the  same 
whom,  in  her  infancy,  in  a  far-off  land,  he  had  blessed 
and  promised  that  she  should  live  to  become  "a  mother 
in  Israel."  Her  children  are:— 

Melvina, 

James,* 

Wilford, 

Lorenzo, 

Abbie. 

In  the  foregoing  lists  we  have  classed  together  the 
wives  who  were  the  mothers  of  his  children.  Besides  these 
there  were  many  others,  most  of  them  aged  ladies  and 
widows  whom  he  merely  supported,  without  living  with 
them.  Following  is  a  list  of  their  names  :— 

Mary  Fielding  Smith,*! 

Margaret  McMinn,* 

Hannah  Moon,* 

Dorothy  Moon, 

Adelia  Wilcox, 

Huldah  Barnes, 

Eliza  Cravath, 

J  Widow  of  Hyrum  Smith,  sealed  to  Heber  for  time. 


436  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

Mary  Ann  Shefflin,* 

Charlotte  Chase, 

Theresa  Morley,* 

Ruth  L.  Pierce, 

Maria  Winchester,* 

Laura  Pitkin,* 

Abigail  Pitkin,* 

Ruth  Wellington,* 

Abigail  Buchanan,* 

Sophronia  Harmon,* 

Sarah  Stiles, •{• 

Elizabeth  Hereford,f 

Rebecca  Williams,f 

Sarah  Buckwater,^ 

Mary  Dull.f 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Heber  C.  Kimball  was  the 
husband  of  forty-five  wives,  J  and  the  father  of  sixty-five 
children.  Truly  a  patriarchal  household. 

It  may  well  be  surmised  that  the  government  and 
support  of  a  family  of  such  dimensions  were  no  small 
tax  upon  the  wisdom,  patience  and  provident  care  of 
even  the  wisest  and  most  opulent.  Forever  banished  be 
the  thought — aspersion  upon  reason  and  consistency  as 
it  is — that  self-seeking,  ease-desiring  human  nature  would 
take  upon  itself  such  burdens  and  responsibilities  from 
any  motive  less  honorable  and  pure  than  that  which 
Mormonism  maintains  is  the  true  one.  Luxury  and 
lust  go  frequently  hand  in  hand ;  licentiousness  and 
honest  toil  but  rarely. 

Heber  C.  Kimball  was  a  man  of  industry,  a  man  of 
virtue,  of  self-denial,  who  would  sooner  have  thought  of 


^  At  the  funeral  of  his  wife  Vilate,  Heber,  pointing  to  the  coffin,  said:  "There  lies 
a  woman  who  has  given  me  forty-four  wives.'1 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  437 

severing  his  right  hand  from  his  body,  than  to  have 
cherished  an  unchaste  sentiment,  or  sacrificed  a  principle 
to  sin  or  selfish  ease.  He  was  often  heard  to  declare 
that  the  plural  order  of  marriage,  with  its  manifold  cares 
and  perplexities,  had  cost  him  "bushels  of  tears." 

Yet  his  was  an  exemplary  family — as  much  so  as 
any  in  all  Israel,  polygamous  or  otherwise.  His  wives 
loved  each  other  as  sisters,  and  dwelt  together  in  peace 
and  unity ;  while  his  children,  especially  the  males,  sons 
of  various  mothers,  clung  together  with  an  affection  all 
but  clannish  in  its  intensity.  Woe  betide  the  luckless 
wight,  who,  even  in  childhood's  days,  imposed  upon  a 
"Kimball  boy."  The  whole  family  of  urchins  would 
resent  the  insult,  and  that,  too,  with  pluckiness  surpass- 
ing even  their  numbers. 

Family  prayer  was  an  institution  in  the  Kimball 
household.  Morning  and  evening  the  members  were 
called  in  to  surround  the  family  altar  and  offer  up  praise 
and  petitions  to  the  Throne  of  Grace.  It  is  a  common 
remark  to  this  day  that  such  prayers  are  seldom  heard 
as  were  wont  to  issue  from  the  heart  and  lips  of  Heber 
C.  Kimball.  Reverence  for  Deity  was  one  of  the 
cardinal  qualities  of  his  nature.  Nevertheless,  it  was 
noticeable  that  the  God  to  whom  he  prayed  was  a  being 
"near  at  hand  and  not  afar  off."  He  worshiped  not  as 
"a  worm  of  the  dust,"  hypocritically  meek  and  lowly, 
or  as  one  conscious  of  naught  but  the  meanness  of  his 
nature,  and  the  absence  of  merit  in  his  cause.  But  in  a 
spirit  truly  humble,  confessing  his  sins,  yet  knowing 
something  of  the  nobility  of  his  soul,  he  talked  with 
God  "as  one  man  talketh  with  another;"  and  often 
with  the  ease  and  familiarity  of  an  old-time  friend. 

On  one  occasion,  while  offering  up  an  earnest 
appeal  in  behalf  of  certain  of  his  fellow-creatures,  he 


438  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

startled  the  kneeling  circle  by  bursting  into  a  loud  laugh 
in  the  very  midst  of  his  prayer.  Quickly  regaining  his 
composure  and  solemn  address,  he  remarked,  apolo- 
getically :  "Lord,  it  makes  me  laugh  to  pray  about  some 
people." 

Heber  loved  his  children,  and  was  justly  proud  of  his 
numerous  and  noble  posterity.  If  at  times  he  appeared 
stern,  and  was  severe  in  his  correction,  it  was  not  that  he 
loved  them  less,  but  their  welfare  and  salvation  more.  He 
made  no  compromise  with  sin,  but  nipped  it  in  the  bud, 
though  the  soil  wherein  it  grew  were  the  hearts  of  his 
dearest  friends  and  relations.  His  greatest  desire  for 
his  family  was  that  they  should  be  humble,  virtuous 
and  God-fearing.  The  riches,  fashions,  and  even  cul- 
ture of  the  world  were  as  nothing  in  his  eyes,  com- 
pared with  honesty,  morality  and  the  treasures  of 
eternal  truth. 

Nor  was  he  morose  and  sullen,  because  thus  sober- 
minded  and  religious.  Mingling  with  his  deeply  earnest, 
profoundly  solemn  nature  was  a  keen  sense  of  humor, 
a  continuous  play  of  mirth,  like  sunlight  gilding  the 
edges  of  a  cloud. 

One  day  (it  was  July  23rd,  1864,  and  a  grand  cele- 
bration of  Pioneer  day  was  on  the  tapis)  he  drove  down 
to  the  shop  of  James  Lawson  the  blacksmith,  to  have 
some  repairing  done  to  his  carriage,  a  long  vehicle  with 
seats  on  either  side.  He  had  about  fifteen  of  his  boys 
in  the  carriage,  all  urchins  ranging  from  ten  to  thirteen 
years. 

"James,"  said  he,  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eye, 
"I  have  no  shoes  for  these  boys,  and  I'm  going  to  have 
them  out  in  the  procession  to-morrow  in  this  carriage,  so 
that  their  feet  can't  be  seen." 

Then,  with  a  proud  glance  at  his  youthful  progeny, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  439 

he  added:  " There  is  a  load  of  Elders;  I  have  ordained 
them  all  myself." 

He  often  took  his  children  into  his  confidence, 
giving  them  practical  lessons  in  the  virtues  he  desired 
them  to  cultivate.  His  son  David  H.  relates  the  follow- 
ing: 

"One  day  President  Young  made  a  call  upon  father 
for  $1,000.,  for  some  public  purpose,  and  not  having  the 
ready  cash,  he  was  at  a  loss  to  know  where  to  get  it.  At 
his  suggestion  we  went  down  in  the  garden  and  bowed 
ourselves  in  prayer,  father  calling  upon  the  Lord  to 
direct  him  in  the  matter.  We  then  arose  and  started 
down  the  street,  and  he  remarked  that  the  Lord  would 
answer  our  prayer  and  direct  him  aright.  When  even 
with  Godbe's  corner,  William  Godbe  came  out  of  his 
store  and  told  him  that,  in  looking  through  his  safe,  he 
had  come  across  about  $1,000  in  gold-dust,  belonging  to 
him,  which  his  son  Heber  P.  had  left  there  for  him  some 
time  before,  though  father  until  then  knew  nothing  about 
it." 

In  the  Spring  of  1866  his  son,  Col.  H.  P.  Kimball, 
was  called  into  southern  Utah  at  the  head  of  a  company 
of  minute  men,  to  aid  in  subduing  the  Indians  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War.  His  son  David  P.  was  also  called, 
but  having  just  returned  from  a  mission  to  England,  with 
his  brother  Charles,  he  was  honorably  released,  and  his 
younger  brother,  Solomon,  sent  in  his  stead.  The  even- 
ing before  they  started,  Heber  called  their  mother, 
Vilate,  and  her  children  into  his  room,  and  spent  several 
hours  with  them,  giving  them  much  good  counsel  and 
explaining  to  them  the  relationship  of  the  Lamanites,  as 
a  branch  of  the  house  of  Israel,  with  the  latter-day  work, 
and  the  important  part  they  were  destined  to  play  in  this 
dispensation.  He  then  blessed  Heber  and  Solomon,  and 


44-O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KTMBALL. 

promised  them  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  that  they 
should  not  see  an  Indian  while  they  were  gone. 

This  promise,  though  meant  for  their  welfare,  and, 
it  may  be  added,  for  the  welfare  of  the  Lamanites  as  well, 
was  quite  a  disappointment  to  the  two  brothers,  who 
were  anxious,  not  only  to  see  the  Indians,  but  to  have  a 
"brush"  with  them.  Solomon  had  often  heard  of  a  fight 
which  his  brother  William  and  others  had  had  with  the 
red  men  in  Battle  Creek  Canyon,  some  years  before,  in 
which  William  had  the  horn  of  his  saddle  punctured  by 
a  bullet  while  ascending  the  ravine,  thus  narrowly  escap- 
ing being  wounded  or  killed.  Solomon  had  seen  the 
saddle,  which  had  a  romantic  charm  for  him,  and  he  now 
wanted  to  see  the  Indians.  The  remainder  of  the  story 
we  will  give  in  his  own  words : 

"We  were  gone  ninety  days  and  rode  hundreds  of 
miles,  following  the  tracks  of  different  bands  of  hostile 
Indians,  and  were  close  upon  them  a  great  many  times. 
They  were  attacking  settlements  all  around  us,  killing 
the  settlers  and  driving  off  stock.  At  one  time,  after  the 
Indians  had  made  a  raid  on  Round  Valley  (Scipio)  kill- 
ing one  man  and  running  off  five  hundred  head  of  stock, 
Col.  Kimball  left  a  part  of  his  command  at  Thistle  Valley 
to  hold  the  fort  at  that  place,  while  he  went  to  intercept 
the  Indians  on  the  Sevier  River.  We  had  gone  but  a 
few  hours,  when  the  Indians  made  a  raid  on  the  fort  at 
Thistle  Valley,  running  off  all  their  horses,  killing  one  of 
the  party  and  wounding  another. 

"After  our  company  returned  home  we  were  drawn 
up  in  line  in  front  of  the  Court  House,  where  President 
Young,  my  father,  and  others  came  down  to  see  us. 
Father,  looking  at  Heber  and  myself,  whose  clothing 
and  countenances  showed  hard  service,  asked  us  if  we 
had  seen  an  Indian  while  we  were  gone.  Our  humilia- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  44! 

ting  reply  was,  'No.'  He  laughed  and  said,  'Did'ntI 
tell  you  so?'  and  then  added:  'I  would  rather  have 
them  kill  you,  than  to  have  one  of  my  sons  shed  their 
blood.'" 

But  a  volume  might  be  filled  with  incidents  of  like 
character  in  his  experience,  and  then  the  half  remain 
untold.  Suffice  this,  at  present,  for  his  inner  life  and 
private  family  history. 

Preaching,  colonizing,  traveling  through  the  settle- 
ments, encouraging  the  Saints  in  their  toils  and  sacri- 
fices ;  sitting  in  council  among  the  leaders  of  Israel ; 
ministering  in  sacred  and  holy  places,  and  otherwise 
laboring  for  and  blessing  the  Lord's  people:  —  so  wore 
away  the  remaining  years  of  Heber  C.  Kimball  on  this 
planet.  His  name  was  literally  "a  household  word"  in 
Israel.  "Brother  Heber"  was  everywhere  honored  and 
beloved.  Even  the  Gentiles  esteemed  him,  admiring 
his  honesty  and  outspoken  candor,  let  him  lash  as  he 
might  with  the  whip  of  his  tongue,  the  wrong-doer 
outside,  or  the  hypocrite  inside  the  Church.  Loved  and 
honored  as  are  few  men  in  this  life,  he  returned  in 
measure  full  to  overflowing  the  affection  of  the  hearts 
which  God  had  given  him. 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 

ANECDOTES   AND    REMINISCENCES    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL 

THE     MAN     AS     OTHERS     KNEW    HIM GOLDEN     GRAINS 

FROM  THE  SANDS  OF  MEMORY. 

AT  this  point  in  our  history  we  deem  it  proper  to 
introduce  a  series  of  anecdotes  and  reminiscences  relat- 
ing to  President  Kimball,  nearly  all  of  which  were  con- 
tributed, at  the  author's  invitation,  especially  for  this 
work.  These  flowers  of  incident  culled  from  the  gar- 
dens of  recollection,  cannot  fail  to  interest  the  reader, 
while  they  illustrate,  as  nothing  else  could,  the  character 
and  conduct  of  this  remarkable  man. 

The  first  is  from  Brother  N.  B.  Baldwin,  of  Fill- 
more,  who  writes  as  follows : 

"  My  first  acquaintance  with  Elder  Kimball  was  in 
Zion's  Camp,  in  the  Spring  and  Summer  of  1834.  The 
following  winter  the  young  and  middle-aged  Elders,  all 
who  conveniently  could,  were  called  in  to  attend  school 
in  Kirtland,  Ohio.  William  E.  McLellin  was  the 
teacher  of  the  grammar  classes,  grammar  being  then 
taught  on  the  Kirkham  plan,  by  lecture  and  repetition. 
Our  class  consisted  of  Joseph  Smith  (who,  in  the  absence 
of  the  teacher  at  other  duties,  took  charge  of  the  class), 
David  W.  Patten,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  Benjamin  Win- 
chester, Nathan  B.  Baldwin  and  others  that  I  do  not  now 
recollect. 

"It  seemed  to  be  very  hard  for  Brother  Kimball  to 
memorize  sentences  by  hearing  them  repeated.  One 
time  when  he  was  thus  at  fault,  Joseph,  in  a  jocular 
mood,  said  to  him ;  '  Repeat  that  correctly,  or  I  will  take 
a  stick  and  whip  you  as  I  would  a  little  child.' 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  443. 

"With  his  model  meekness,  Brother  Kimball 
smilingly  said;  'Well,  you  may  whip  me.' 

"'Yes,'  said  Joseph,  'it  would  be  just  about  like 
whipping  a  little  child.  You  ARE  JUST  AS  INNOCENT  AS  A 

LITTLE  CHILD." 

This  simple  anecdote  furnishes  not  only  a  key 
to  the  character  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  showing  his 
native  meekness  and  veneration,  but  also  an  evidence  of 
the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  Prophet,  even 
at  that  early  day.  Jesus  said  that  "except  ye  become  as 
little  children  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." 

ELDER  WILLIAM  B.  BARTON  contributes  the  following: 

"It  was  my  happy  privilege,  while  filling  a  mission  to 
England  in  1874-5-6  to  receive  my  appointment  to  labor 
in  the  Liverpool  Conference.  This  conference  included, 
among  others,  a  few  branches  that  were  left  of  the  once 
flourishing  conferences  of  Clithero  and  Preston.  I 
realized  that  I  was  traveling  on  historic  ground.  I  found 
some  few  Saints  still  in  that  land,  who  were  personally 
acquainted  with  the  early  Elders  and  Apostles  who  first 
preached  and  established  the  gospel  in  Preston ;  and  I 
found  that  while  all  were  kindly  remembered,  none  had 
made  as  indelible  and  lasting  an  impression  on  their  minds 
as  Brother  Heber  C.  Kimball.  They  pointed  out  with 
pleasure  and  reverence  the  places  where  he  and  others 
had  stood  forth  proclaiming  the  restored  gospel.  Among 
these  were  the  Market-place,  the  Cock  Pit,  and  the  Rev. 
James  Fielding's  Chapel.  I  was  fortunate  in  securing  a 
photograph  of  this  chapel,  but  had  no  idea  at  the  time 
that  it  would  ever  be  used  to  illustrate  a  history  of  the 
founder  of  the  British  mission. 

"This  Mr.  Fielding  and  a  Mr.  Aitken  were  two  of 


444  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

twelve  men  who  had  united  together  and  made  a  vow 
that  they  would  neither  eat  nor  drink  until  the  Lord 
revealed  to  them  whether  he  would  raise  up  His  Church 
in  their  day.  The  Lord  did  make  known  to  them  that  he 
had  already  established  His  Church  on  the  earth,  and  in 
due  time  His  servants  would  be  sent  with  authority  to 
preach  and  baptize.  Brother  Kimball  visited  Mr.  Aitken 
and  bore  a  powerful  testimony  of  the  truth,  and  prophe- 
sied to  him  that  if  he  rejected  the  message  of  salvation,  he 
would  lose  his  influence,  his  flock  would  leave  him,  and 
he  would  go  down ;  all  of  which  was  fulfilled  to  the  very 
letter,  with  regard  to  him  and  Mr.  Fielding  also.  Mr. 
Fielding  had  commenced  to  build  a  more  commodious 
church,  but  he  never  finished  it,  and  he  himself  was  for 
a  long  time  an  inmate  of  Grosvenor  hospital ;  a  place 
were  unfortunate  and  aged  clergymen  spent  their  declin- 
ing years." 

" Among  the  early  converts  of  Apostle  Kimball  in 
that  land  were  the  sisters  Mary  Ann  and  Margaret 
Heaton  Topping,  whose  parents  were  opposed  to  and 
never  joined  the  Church.  Brother  Kimball  counseled 
them  to  obey  their  parents,  and  told  them  that  the  time 
would  come  when  they  would  cease  to  object  to  their 
attending  the  meetings  of  the  Saints.  Said  he:  'When 
I  say  come,  come,  and  all  will  be  well,'  which  prom- 
ise was  literally  fulfilled.  He  warned  one  of  these  sis- 
ters not  to  marry  a  young  man  she  was  engaged  to,  as 
he  would  apostatize  and  leave  the  Church,  and  told  her 
that  her  future  husband  was  not  then  in  the  Church,  but 
would  come  in  and  remain  faithful;  and,  said  he,  'You 
shall  see  the  man  you  are  going  to  marry  at  the  con- 
ference that  I  will  notify  you  to  attend.'  These  remark- 
able promises  were  all  fulfilled,  and  Sister  Topping  is 
alive  to-day  to  bear  witness  of  their  truth." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  445 

BROTHER  CHARLES  HUBBARD,  an  old  friend  of  Heber's, 
whom  he  mentions  repeatedly  in  his  history,  relates  this 
incident: 

"As  is  well  known,  President  Brigham  Young, 
when  he  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  from  Montrose,  in 
September,  1839,  and  started  on  his  mission  to  England, 
was  very  sick.  He  was  brought  to  the  house  of  Heber 
C.  Kimball,  in  Nauvoo.  Brother  Kimball  was  also  sick 
with  the  same  disease  (ague)  but  after  the  fever  went 
off  he  climbed  upon  his  house  and  was  trying  to  finish 
the  roof,  when  his  brother  missionary  (Brigham)  came 
out  to  walk  a  little  to  try  his  strength.  In  the  effort  he 
fainted  and  fell  to  the  ground.  Brother  Kimball,  not 
having  strength  to  lift  him,  called  to  me,  just  across  the 
river,  to  come  and  help  assist  Brother  Brigham  into  the 
house,  where,  after  placing  him  upon  the  bed,  we  adminis- 
tered to  him  and  he  recovered  consciousness.  When  I 
left,  Brother  Heber  followed  me  to  the  door  and  said: 

'"Charley,  I  doubt  very  much  if  Brigham  ever  rises 
from  that  bed.' ' 

"  But  he  had  no  sooner  uttered  the  words,  than  he 
spoke  up,  as  with  another  voice,  and  said,  'He  shall  live, 
and  shall  start  upon  this  mission  with  me  to-morrow 
morning.'  And  they  did  start  the  very  next  morning,  on 
their  mission  to  England.'  ' 

ELDER  JACOB  HAMBLIN  leaves  the  following  on  record  : 
"At  the  April  conference  I,  with  others,  was   called 
on  a  mission  to  the   Indians  in    Southern  Utah,  in    1854. 
We   commenced  our   labors  at  a  place   we  called   Har- 
mony. 

"About  the  end  of  May  of  that  year,  President 
B.  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  P.  P.  Pratt  and  others,  to 
the  number  of  twenty  persons,  came  to  visit  us.  Presi- 


446  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

dent  Young  gave  much  instruction,  etc.  Brother 
Kimball  prophesied  that  if  the  brethren  were  united  they 
would  be  prospered  and  blessed,  but  if  they  permitted 
the  spirit  of  strife  and  contention  to  come  into  their  midst, 
the  place  would  come  to  an  end  in  a  scene  of  bloodshed. 
''Previous  to  this  meeting,  President  Young  asked 
some  brethren  who  had  been  into  the  country  south  of 
Harmony,  if  they  thought  a  wagon  road  could  be  made 
down  to  the  Rio  Virgin.  Their  replies  were  very  dis- 
couraging, but  in  the  face  of  this  report  Brother  Kimball 
prophesied  in  this  meeting  that  a  road  would  be  made 
from  Harmony  over  the  Black  Ridge,  and  a  Temple 
would  be  built  on  the  Rio  Virgin,  and  the  Lamanites 
would  come  from  the  east  side  of  the  Colorado  River 
and  get  their  endowments  in  it.  All  these  prophecies 
have  been  fulfilled." 

One  of  the  Elders  laboring  in  the  Manti  Temple 
writes  : 

"In  an  early  day  when  President  Young  and  party 
were  making  the  location  of  a  settlement  here,  President 
Heber  C.  Kimball  prophesied  that  the  day  would  come 
when  a  temple  would  be  built  on  this  hill.  Some  dis- 
believed and  doubted  the  possibility  of  even  making  a 
settlement  here.  Brother  Kimball  said,  'Well,  it  will 
be  so,  and  more  than  that,  the  rock  will  be  quarried 
from  that  hill  to  build  it  with,  and  some  of  the  stone 
from  that  quarry  will  be  taken  to  help  complete  the  Salt 
Lake  Temple.'  On  July  28th,  1878,  two  large  stones, 
weighing  respectively  5,600  and  5,020  pounds,  were 
taken  from  the  Manti  stone  quarry,  hauled  by  team  to 
York,  the  U.  C.  R.  R.  terminus  then,  and  shipped  to 
Salt  Lake  City  to  be  used  for  the  tablets  in  the  east  and 
west  ends  of  the  Salt  Lake  City  Temple. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  447 

"At  a  conference  held  in  Ephraim,  Sanpete  County, 
June  25th,  1875,  nearly  all  the  speakers  expressed  their 
feelings  to  have  a  temple  built  in  Sanpete  County,  and 
gave  their  views  as  to  what  point  and  where  to  build  it, 
and  to  show  the  union  that  existed,  Elder  Daniel  H. 
Wells  said  'Manti,'  George  Q.  Cannon,  Brigham  Young, 
Jr.,  John  Taylor,  Orson  Hyde,  Erastus  Snow,  Franklin 
D.  Richards,  Lorenzo  Young,  and  A.  M.  Musser  said 
'Manti  stone  quarry.'  I  have  given  the  names  in  the 
order  in  which  they  spoke.  At  4  p.  m.  that  day  Presi- 
dent Brigham  Young  said:  'The  Temple  should  be 
built  on  Manti  stone  quarry.'  Early  on  the  morning  of 
April  25th,  1877,  President  Brigham  Young  asked 
Brother  Warren  S.  Snow  to  go  with  him  to  the  Temple 
hill.  Brother  Snow  says;  'We  two  were  alone:  Presi- 
dent Young  took  me  to  the  spot  where  the  Temple  was 
to  stand ;  we  went  to  the  southeast  corner,  and  Presi- 
dent Young  said;  'Here  is  the  spot  where  the  prophet 
Moroni  stood  and  dedicated  this  piece  of  land  for  a 
Temple  site,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  the  location  is 
made  here,  and  we  can't  move  it  from  this  spot;  and  if 
you  and  I  are  the  only  persons  that  come  here  at  high 
noon  to-day,  we  will  dedicate  this  ground." 

The  late  George  Nebeker  said  that  President 
Kimball  told  him,  many  years  ago,  that  he  would  live  to 
see  the  kings  and  great  ones  of  the  earth  pass  by  his 
door.  Brother  Nebeker  resided  in  the  nineteenth  ward. 
The  railway  at  that  time  was  not  thought  of  in  Utah. 
But  the  iron  horse  now  rushes  along  the  street  imme- 
diately in  front  of  Brother  Nebeker's  family  residence, 
and  he  himself  lived  to  see  such  celebrities  as  President 
Grant,  the  Emperor  of  Brazil  and  other  royal  and  great 
ones  literally  pass  by  his  door. 


448  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

MRS.  MAMIE  HOOPER  JENNINGS,  daughter  of  the  late 
Captain  Hooper,  relates: 

"  Brother  Kimball  gave  my  father  a  half  dollar,  tell- 
ing him  that  as  long  as  he  kept  it  he  should  never  want 
for  money.  Father  placed  faith  in  the  promise,  and  tes- 
tified often  that  he  had  realized  its  truth ;  he  had  never 
wanted  for  money,  in  any  sum,  from  that  time." 

A  FRIEND  : 

"He  said  to  me  one  day,  taking  up  a  small  stick 
from  the  ground,  'You  see  this  stick.  If  it  had  remained 
down  there  you  never  would  have  noticed  that  there 
was  any  dirt  clinging  to  it.  But  now  that  I  hold  it 
up  you  observe  it  is  covered  with  dirt.  It  is  just  so 
when  a  man  is  put  into  office.  He  may  be  just  as  clean 
before  he  gets  there  as  those  around  him,  but  his  being 
lifted  up  above  them  makes  his  faults  more  manifest,  and 
he  is  far  more  apt  to  be  criticised  than  before." 

The  veteran  Bishop,  A.  H.  RALEIGH,  speaks  thus 
from  his  exile : 

"Having  fortunately  been  privileged  with  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  late  Heber  C.  Kimball,  from  the 
early  days  of  Nauvoo  to  the  time  of  his  decease,  a 
period  of  about  twenty-five  years,  I  venture  confidently 
to  submit  that  no  stronger  or  more  forcible  illustration 
of  the  peculiarity  of  his  character  can  be  presented  than 
the  notable  eccentricity  manifested  in  the  subdivisions  of 
plat  E.  Salt  Lake  City,  which  he  fashioned  by  personally 
directing  city  surveyor  J.  W.  Fox,  Sen.,  in  laying  out  and 
platting,  and  myself  in  naming  the  streets,  while  drafting 
the  resolution  which,  when  passed  by  the  City  Council, 
made  it  a  legal  survey.  Though  it  has  undergone  some 
slight  changes  in  the  remodeling  of  a  few  lots,  as  also  a 
few  streets,  and  changing  a  few  of  these  names,  with 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  449 

a  small  addition  to  the  plat,  far  the  most  of  the 
original  remains  to  be  a  lasting  monument  to  his 
memory.  The  great  variety  of  form  and  size  of  lots, 
involving  corners,  angles,  widths  and  lengths  of  streets, 
together  with  their  peculiar  names,  almost  exhausting 
the  names  of  the  fruit  and  vegetable  kingdom,  are  all 
characteristic  of  the  man,  familiarly  called  'Brother 
Heber,'  ever  evincing  a  strong  desire  to  imitate  nature 
in  its  eternal  variety  and  beauty ;  the  same  in  his  plain, 
easy,  natural  demeanor  in  his  daily  intercourse  with  his 
fellows,  either  in  public  or  private  life,  giving  evidence  of 
the  presence  of  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  one  of  the 
noblest  works  of  God, — an  honest  man." 

FATHER  I.  L.  HEYWOOD  writes  from  Panguitch: 

J  o 

"Brother  Kimball  was  naturally  of  a  jovial  turn  of 
mind.  When  working  at  the  pottery  business  he  would 
sometimes  use  a  chip  to  turn  his  crocks,  remarking  that 
he  'did  not  care  who  stole  his  trade,  as  long  as  they  did 
not  steal  his  tools.' 

"In  relation  to  some  protuberances  on  his  forehead 
he  remarked  that  they  were  the  'horns  of  Joseph'  with 
which  to  push  the  people  together,  referring  to  his  labors 
as  an  Apostle. 

"President  B.  Young  once  said  that  Brother  Kim- 
ball  could  go  to  the  city  of  Washington,  D.C.,  and  build 
up  a  church,  and  the  way  he  would  do  it  was  by  begin- 
ning so  small." 

ELDER  JUNIUS  F.  WELLS: 

"One  day  he  entered  the  Union  Academy,  taught 
by  Dr.  Doremus,  and  taking  off  his  high-crowned  straw 
hat  that  he  used  so  much  to  wear,  made  a  profound  bow 
to  the  school,  without  saying  a  word.  Then,  while  the 
students  were  gazing  at  him  with  fixed  eyes  and  open 


29 


450  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

mouths,  he  said  solemnly:  '  Boys;  never  call  your  father 
the  old  man'  With  another  polite  bow,  and  without 
saying  another  word,  he  turned  and  left  the  hall.  The 
impression  made  by  his  presence  and  laconic  speech  was 
most  profound." 

ELDER  CHARLES  W.  STAYNER: 

"  President  Kimball's  hat  blew  off  on  Main  Street, 
one  day,  and  as  he  was  pursuing  it,  one  of  a  party  of 
men  with  whom  he  had  been  conversing  on  the  corner, 
laughed  at  him.  Stopping  in  his  chase,  he  turned 
around  and  addressing  that  person  said:  'Never  mind; 
your  hat  will  blow  off  some  day,  but  your  head  will 
be  in  it.'  The  man  to  whom  he  spoke  afterwards 
apostatized." 

SOLOMON  F.  KIMBALL  : 

"I  heard  father  prophecy  that  a  certain  Elder  would 
lose  all  his  means  and  die  a  poor  man,  because  he  neg- 
lected his  spiritual  duties  to  attend  to  his  temporal 
affairs.  I  have  seen  that  prophecy  fulfilled." 

JAMES  LAWSON'S  narrative: 

"In  1855,  Heber  C.  Kimball  sent  for  me  (I  had  just 
been  married  thirteen  days)  and  said,  '  Brother  James'  I 
want  you  to  give  your  wife  Betsy  a  divorce,'  I  said, 
'Brother  Kimball  what  is  the  matter?  There  is  nothing 
wrong  with  us,  and  we  think  everything  of  each  other?' 
He  said,  'Nothing  is  the  matter,  but  here  is  the  divorce 
and  I  want  you  to  sign  it.'  I  signed  it  and  he  told  me 
to  send  her  home  to  her  mother  (Sarah  Noon*)  which  I 
did.  At  the  same  time  I  asked  her  if  she  had  been 
making  any  complaints  to  Bro.  Kimball  against  me.  She 
said,  'Never,  to  anybody.'  I  did  not  sleep  a  wink  that 
night,  and  no  one  knows  what  I  suffered  in  my  feelings. 

*  Heber's  first  plural  wife. 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.        .  451 

I  prayed  frequently  to  the  Lord  and  enquired  of  Him 
what  all  this  meant.  Towards  morning  I  received  an 
answer  to  my  prayers.  The  Spirit  said  unto  me,  'Be 
comforted,  my  servant  James,  all  will  come  out  right.' 
Soon  after  this  Brother  Kimball  went  to  the  Legislature, 
which  was  held  at  Fillmore,  and  was  absent  from  home 
about  two  months.  When  he  returned  he  gave  me  a 
mission  to  Carson  Valley  and  told  me  to  get  Betsy  and 
bring  her  to  the  Endowment  House  with  me.  I  did  so 
and  he  sealed  us  for  time  and  all  eternity. 

"After  this  took  place  I  said,  'Brother  Kimball  what 
did  you  do  that  for?'  He  said,  'Brother  James,  I  did  it 
to  try  you  as  I  was  tried.  I  will  tell  you.  After  I  had 
returned  from  my  second  mission  to  England  in  1841, 
the  Prophet  Joseph  came  to  me  one  evening  and  said, 
'Brother  Heber,  I  want  you  to  give  Vilate  to  me  to  be 
my  wife,'  saying  that  the  Lord  desired  this  at  my  hands.' 
Heber  said  that  in  all  his  life  before  he  had  never  had 
anything  take  hold  of  him  like  that.  He  was  dumb- 
founded. He  went  home,  and  did  not  eat  a  mouthful  of 
anything,  nor  even  touch  a  drop  of  water  to  his  lips,  nor 
sleep,  for  three  days  and  nights.  He  was  almost  con- 
tinually offering  up  his  prayers  to  God  and  asking  him 
for  comfort.  On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  he  said, 
'Vilate,  let's  go  down  to  the  Prophet's'  and  they  went 
down  and  met  him  in  a  private  room.  Heber  said, 
'Brother  Joseph,  here  is  Vilate.'  The  Prophet  wept  like 
a  child,  said  Heber,  and  after  he  had  cleared  the  tears 
away,  he  took  us  and  sealed  us  for  time  and  all  eternity, 
and  said,  '  Brother  Heber,  take  her,  and  the  Lord  will  give 
you  a  hundred  fold." 

COL.  ROBERT  SMITH,  a  veteran  friend  of  President 
Kimball's,  and  for  many  years  almost  like  a  member  of 
his  family,  says : 


452  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"In  1857,  I  was  working  for  Brother  Heber  and 
asked  him  for  some  goods,  which  he  refused  to  let  me 
have.  Feeling  bad  over  it,  I  went  home  and  laid  the 
matter  before  the  Lord.  The  next  morning  when  I  came 
to  work,  Brother  Heber  called  me  into  his  room  and  said, 
'  Robert,  what  have  you  been  complaining  to  the  Lord 
for,  about  his  servant  Heber?  Here  are  the  things  you 
asked  me  for,  and  after  this  don't  go  to  the  Lord  about 
every  little  thing  that  happens." 

"In  the  year  1855,  he  was  moving  a  herd  of  sheep 
on  to  the  Church  Island,  with  a  flat  boat ;  the  water  was 
very  shallow  in  some  places  and  the  boat  got  fastened 
on  a  sand-bar,  and  we  could  not  get  it  off.  There  were 
about  six  of  us  in  all.  After  working  for  some  time  and 
accomplishing  nothing,  Brother  Heber  returned  to  the 
shore,  which  was  but  a  short  distance,  and  getting 
behind  some  grease-wood  he  bowed  down  in  prayer. 
Then  coming  back  to  the  boat,  he  said,  'come  boys,  let's 
give  her  another  trial,  she'll  move  now.'  All  took  hold 
and  pushed  and  it  went  off  the  bar  all  right,  and  we 
arrived  at  the  Island  that  night." 

"At  one  time,  putting  his  hand  on  his  heart,  he 
remarked  that  unless  a  man  knew  that  Jesus  was  the 
Christ,  he  could  not  stand  in  this  Church. 

"He  said  that  the  Lord  would  allow  all  manner  of 
abominations  to  come  to  Zion,  in  order  to  purify  His 
people.  This  was  in  1856. 

"He  saw  in  vision  a  U.  S.  Marshal  in  pursuit  of  one 
of  his  daughters,  who  had  a  small  babe  in  her  arms.* 

"  He  said  that  this  government  would  dissolve  pretty 
much  all  the  laws  passed  by  our  legislature,  and  that 


*The  heroine  of  this  episode,  which  actually  occurred,  was  Mrs.  Melvina  Kimball 
Driggs,  wife  of  Bishop  Apollos  Driggs,  one  of  the  victims  of  the  anti-polygamy  crusade 
under  the  "  Edmunds  Law." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  453 

the  time  would  come  when  the  government  would  stop 
the  Saints  from  holding-  meetings.  When  this  was  done 
the  Lord  would  pour  out  His  judgments." 

"At  family  prayers,  just  a  little  while  before  his 
death,  he  remarked  that  the  angel  Moroni  had  visited 
him  the  night  before  and  informed  him  that  his  work 
on  this  earth  was  finished,  and  he  would  soon  be  taken." 

FATHER  O.  N.  LLILJENQUIST  once  said  to  the  author: 
"My  first  impression  of  President  Kimball  was  far 
from  favorable.  He  was  preaching  in  the  Tabernacle, 
and  belaboring  a  certain  man  very  severely,  and  I  did 
not  like  his  harshness.  The  next  time  I  met  him  was  in 
the  Endowment  House,  and  if  ever  I  saw  a  man  look 
like  a  God,  and  act  as  humble  as  a  little  child,  that  man 
was  Heber  C.  Kimball.  All  my  prejudice  vanished  in  a 
moment." 

BISHOP  JAMES  WATSON  : 

"In  1864,  soon  after  my  arrival  in  Utah,  I  went  with 
my  brother  Joseph  to  see  President  Kimball  about  a  lot 
I  desired  to  purchase.  We  found  him  at  his  mill  on  City 
Creek,  superintending  some  workmen.  Being  intro- 
duced to  him,  I  said:  'President  Kimball,  I  wish  to  buy 
a  lot  which  I  am  informed  belongs  to  you.' 

"Eyeing  me  in  a  very  searching  manner,  he  said: 
T  have  sold  many  lots  and  never  received  the  pay  for 
them,'  and  then  turned  away  and  resumed  his  directions 
to  the  workmen. 

"I  was  very  much  hurt  at  his  abrupt  manner, 
especially  as  his  words  seemed  to  intimate  that  I  was  one 
who  would  not  pay  my  debts,  a  reputation  I  had  not 
earned.  "Have  you  any  further  business  with  me?'  he 
asked,  turning  towards  me  again,  after  the  lapse  of  a  few 
moments.  'No  sir,'  said  I  sternly,  and  walked  away. 


454  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"Some  time  elapsed,  and  we  did  not  meet,  for  I 
avoided  him  whenever  I  saw  him  coming.  One  day, 
however,  we  met  face  to  face,  he  on  his  way  to  the 
Endowment  House,  and  I  near  the  Temple  Block,  where 
I  was  then  working.  Smiling  amiably  and  reminding 
me  that  I  had  avoided  him  several  times,  he  asked: 
'Have  you  got  a  lot  yet?'  'No  sir,'  I  answered,  coolly, 
although  my  blood  was  warmed  by  the  recollection  which 
his  words  called  up.  'Well,  you'll  get  one,'  said  he, 
'and  you'll  get  it  of  me,  too.'  (I  inwardly  resolved  that  I 
never  would.)  'Yes,  you'll  come  and  get  it  of  me,'  he 
repeated,  and  we  separated. 

"Being  determined  that  his  words  should  not  come 
to  pass,  (for  I  was  not  at  all  won  over  by  his  change  of 
manner)  I  went  and  purchased  a  lot  from  a  sister  in  the 
Church,  paid  her  for  it,  and  put  up  a  house  on  the  land. 
I  then  asked  her  for  the  deed,  but  she  told  me  she  did  not 
have  one. 

'"Well,  who  holds  the  title  to  the  land,  then?'  I  asked. 

'"HeberC.  Kimball,  she  replied. 

"I  was  dumb-founded.  'Well,  I  shall  not  buy  it  of 
him,'  I  said  to  myself,  but  I  resolved  to  go  and  get  the 
deed  for  her.  Brother  Kimball  received  me  very  kindly, 
and  my  feelings  were  somewhat  softened  towards  him. 
Almost  the  first  question  he  asked  was :  '  Have  you  got 
a  lot  yet?'  'Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  and  then  told  him  I  had 
come  to  get  sister  -  -'s  deed.  'Why,  I  cannot  give 
her  a  deed,'  said  he,  'for  she  has  never  paid  me  for  that 
lot.'  I  then  told  him  what  I  had  done,  and  he  said  with 
a  smile,  'I  told  you  you  would  have  to  come  to  me  for  a 
lot.  Wait  here  a  moment,'  he  added,  and  went  into  his 
office.  Returning  presently,  he  handed  me  a  deed  for 
the  land,  made  out  in  my  name,  and  said:  'There,  I'll 
make  you  a  present  of  that  deed,  and  you've  already 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  455 

paid  for  the  land;  God  bless  you,'  and  we  parted 
friends. 

" Another  incident  I  will  relate: 

"On  the  morning  of  the  i5th  day  of  April,  1865,  my 
wife  and  I  were  going  through  the  Temple  block  towards 
the  Endowment  House,  as  we  had  been  previously 
requested  by  our  Bishop  to  go  and  get  our  endowments. 
I  was  in  a  very  thoughtful  mood  and  prayed  silently  in 
my  own  mind  that  the  Lord  would  give  me  grace  to 
always  adhere  to  the  truth  and  have  my  mind  quickened 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  that  I  might  always  be  able  to 
decide  between  truth  and  error  and  to  have  courage  to 
defend  the  principles  of  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ. 

"We  overtook  President  H.  C.  Kimball  and  were 
walking  leisurely  along,  when  Willard  G.  Smith  over- 
took us  and  said  to  President  Kimball,  '  Have  you  heard 
the  news?  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated  last  night 
while  at  the  theatre  in  Washington.  See  the  flags  are 
at  half  mast.'  After  some  little  conversation  we  entered 
the  Endowment  House.  The  thought  of  the  sad  death 
of  President  Lincoln  weighed  heavily  on  my  mind,  and 
made  a  deep  impression  on  me.  In  going  through  the 
House  Brother  Kimball  gave  us  a  very  impressive 
lecture.  Fixing  his  eyes  on  me,  he  said : 

'"Do  you  know  that  you  will  yet  be  called  upon  to 
stand  in  front  of  the  enemy?'  Then  he  paused  for  a 
reply. 

"After  studying  a  few  seconds,  I  answered,  'No,  sir/ 

"Giving  me  a  piercing  look,  he  said:  'Don't  you 
believe  it.'  I  answered  'No,  sir.' 

"Gazing  at  me  intently  he  said,  'Don't  you  believe 
what  I  say?'  I  answered  'How  can  I  believe,  when  I 
have  no  evidence  or  knowledge  of  it?'  'You  foolish 


456  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

man,'  he  said,  'If  you  had  a  knowledge  you  would  not 
require  any  belief.' 

"Pointing  tome  again,  he  said:  'You  will  yet  be 
called  upon  to  stand  in  front  of  the  enemy,  while  bullets 
will  fly  around  as  thick  as  hail.  Yet  not  a  hair  of  your 
head  shall  be  hurt.  Do  you  believe  that?' 

"After  a  little  study  I  answered,  'No,  sir'  He 
seemed  a  little  perplexed  at  my  obstinacy  and  asked, 
'Why  don't  you  believe  it?'  I  said,  'Because  I  have  been 
in  a  hail-storm,  and  I  know  that  it  is  impossible  to  be  in 
a  hail-storm  without  being  hit,  and  if  the  bullets  are  to  fly 
around  me  as  thick  as  hail,  I  am  sure  I  will  be  hit.'  He 
said  '  Don't  you  think  if  you  saw  them  coming  you  could 
juke  them  ?'  I  said  I  thought  I  could.  'But,'  said  he, 
'they  come  so  quick  you  cannot  do  it.' 

"Then  fixing  his  eyes  upon  me,  he  said:  'The  day 
will  come  when  you  will  stand  in  the  front  rank  in  face 
of  the  enemy,  while  the  bullets  will  fly  around  you  like  a 
hail-storm,  but  if  you  will  live  pure  and  keep  your  gar- 
ments clean,  not  one  hair  of  your  head  will  be  hurt.  Do 
you  believe  that'? 

"I  said:  'Brother  Kimball,  I  believe  what  you 
say.' ' 

ELDER  EDWARD  STEVENSON: 

"I  cheerfully  contribute  the  following,  concerning 
one  of  the  greatest  prophets  of  the  nineteenth  century — 
Heber  C.  Kimball:  In  1856  a  little  group  of  friends, 
convened  in  the  House  of  the  Lord,  were  engaged  in 
pleasant  conversation  on  the  isolated  condition  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints. 

"'Yes,'  said  Brother  Heber  (by  which  name  he 
was  so  familiarly  known),  'we  think  we  are  secure  here 
in  the  chambers  of  the  everlasting  hills,  where  we  can 
close  those  few  doors  of  the  canyons  against  mobs  and 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  457 

persecutors,  the  wicked  and  the  vile,  who  have  always 
beset  us  with  violence  and  robbery,  but  I  want  to  say  to 
you,  my  brethren,  the  time  is  coming  when  we  will  be 
mixed  up  in  these  now  peaceful  valleys  to  that  extent 
that  it  will  be  difficult  to  tell  the  face  of  a  Saint  from  the 
face  of  an  enemy  to  the  people  of  God.  Then,  brethren, 
look  out  for  the  great  sieve,  for  there  will  be  a  great  sift- 
ing time,  and  many  will  fall ;  for  I  say  unto  you  there  is 
a  test,  a  TEST,  a  TEST  coming,  and  who  will  be  able  to 
stand?' 

"The  emphasis  with  which  those  words  were  spoken 
I  shall  never  forget. 

"I  was  with  Brother  Heber  on  the  occasion  of  his 
last  meeting  at  Bountiful,  Davis  County,  Utah,  just  pre- 
vious to  his  death.  He  seemed  full  to  overflowing;  for 
over  two  hours  he  held  the  audience ;  that  meeting  and 
the  deep  instructions  will  endure  in  the  hearts  of  true 
Saints  while  eternities  roll  on. 

"While  working  with  him  in  the  House  of  the  Lord 
in  1856-7,  how  often  I  have  heard  him  speak  against 
pride  and  covetousness  and  the  fear  of  riches,  being 
fearful  of  the  Lord's  displeasure  and  consequent  judg- 
ments. Said  he:  Tf  the  Saints  will  repent,  the  Lord's 
wrath  will  be  turned  away,  but  they  will  not  repent  until 
it  is  too  late.' ' 

PRESIDENT  A.  O.  SMOOT: 

"A  short  time  before  Brother  Heber  was  taken  ill 
with  his  last  sickness,  I  drove  through  with  him  from 
Provo  to  Salt  Lake.  He  was  unusually  free  in  his  con- 
versation, it  being  almost  a  ceaseless  flow  of  prophecies 
in  relation  to  individuals  in  and  out  of  the  Church.  He 
foretold,  with  what  I  have  since  realized  to  be  the  greatest 
accuracy,  what  would  befall  certain  men.  Some  of  those 
of  whom  he  prophesied  are  still  in  good  standing,  but 


458  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

many  who  were  in  good  standing  then,  have  fallen,  as  he 
said  they  would." 

PRESIDENT  A.  F.  MCDONALD: 

"My  first  intimate  acquaintance  with  President 
Kimball  occurred  in  1868,  I  being  then  in  charge  of  the 
Tithing  Office  at  Provo.  He  often  called  into  the  office 
to  do  business.  His  public  discourses  about  this  time 
were  the  most  earnest  and  impressive  that  I  had  ever 
heard ;  and  on  several  occasions  in  the  Provo  meeting 
house,  he  clearly  foreshadowed  the  time  of  trial  the 
Saints  are  now  passing  through,  and  to  a  period  still 
before  us.  He  often  used  the  language,  'A  test,  a  test 
is  coming.' 

"  On  one  occasion,  when  he  was  stopping  with  us 
during  a  two  days'  conference,  he  came  into  the  Tithing 
Yard  where  I  was  busy  putting  up  hay,  and  called  me 
towards  him  and  said:  'Do  you  want  me  at  your  house, 
or  would  you  rather  not  have  us  there?'  I  answered 
that  it  was  a  pleasure  and  honor  to  have  him  there. 
Looking  intently  at  me,  he  said:  T  want  to  say  to  you 
that  you  have  seen  your  worst  days ;  you  have  had  some 
hard  times  and  trials  in  the  past,  but  from  this  time  it 
will  be  better  for  you.  In  whatever  you  are  called  to  do, 
or  whatever  you  put  your  hands  to  accomplish,  you  will 
be  prospered  and  prevail.'  This  is  true  so  far  in  my 
experience. 

"On  another  occasion  in  1863,  during  a  two  days' 
meeting  in  Provo,  I  invited  several  brethren  to  dinner. 
Brother  Kimball  was  present.  During  the  chat  at  the 
table,  conversation  turned  on  the  number  of  children  I 
then  had,  being  at  that  time  six  boys ;  hearing  this  reply 
he  said:  'Yes,  and  the  next,  the  seventh,  will  be  a  boy 
also,  and  he  will  be  the  noblest,  the  most  talented,  and 
the  greatest  you  have  had.'  Brother  R.  L.  Campbell,  who 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  459 

I  remember  was  present,  said  in  a  free  and  jocular  way; 
'If  it  should  come  a  girl,  what  then?'  Upon  which 
Brother  Kimball  observed;  'It  will  not  come  a  girl,  but 
a  boy,  and  you  will  see  it.'  One  year  and  four  days  after, 
a  boy  was  born,  and  Brother  Kimball,  again  attending  a 
two  days'  meeting  at  Provo,  called  to  see  him  and  directed 
that  he  be  blessed  and  given  the  name  of  'Heber,'  by 
which  name  he  is  known  in  our  family  and  has  grown  to 
manhood,  as  we  believe  to  fulfill  the  words  spoken  of 
him. 

"  On  the  night  of  Brother  Kimball's  accident  at 
Provo,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  I  was  with  him.  I 
took  a  silk  handkerchief  from  my  pocket  and  tied  it  over 
his  head,  and  then  suggested  that  I  go  and  call  on  Presi- 
dent B.  Young,  then  at  the  house  of  Bishop  Wm.  Miller, 
to  come  and  administer  to  him  ;  but  he  said :  '  I  command 
you  to  administer  to  me  and  anoint  me  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord ;  do  not  be  in  the  least  afraid ;  you 
hold  the  same  Priesthood  and  authority  from  God  as 
President  Young  or  myself,  and  God  hears  and  answers 
the  prayers  of  His  humblest  servants  and  people.'  I 
administered  to  him  accordingly,  and  he  soon  revived, 
becoming  quite  free  and  jocular  with  us,  and  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  at  his  suggestion  I  went  home. 
On  the  following  day,  myself  and  wife  called  to  see  him. 
He  was  much  improved  and  quite  sociable,  his  conversa- 
tion being  original,  incisive,  and  a  continual  feast  of 
inspiration.  As  we  were  leaving  he  asked  his  wife 
(Lucy  W.)  to  get  my  handkerchief  that  I  had  put  on  his 
head  the  previous  night,  and  addressing  my  wife  he  said: 
'Here,  Betty,  take  this  handkerchief,  and  be  sure  that 
you  never  wash  it,  but  keep  it  as  it  is,  and  when  you 
have  sickness  in  your  family,  exercise  the  prayer  of  faith, 
and  it  will  prove  a  blessing,  and  will  be  a  bond  between 


460  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

you  and  me  for  ever!'     My  wife  has  sacredly  kept  that 
handkerchief." 

ELDER  JOHN  NICHOLSON  gives  a  valued  contribution 
in  the  following: 

"In  accordance  with  your  request  I  furnish  you  with 
a  brief  outline  of  a  discourse  delivered  by  your  grand- 
father, the  late  Heber  C.  Kimball,  in  1867.  The  occasion 
was  the  usual  afternoon  service.  Whether  it  was  held 
in  the  Bowery  or  the  old  Tabernacle,  I  do  not  distinctly 
recollect,  but  think  it  was  the  latter.  My  memory  is, 
however,  quite  distinct  in  relation  to  the  subject  of  the 
discourse ;  especially  the  prophetic  part  of  it,  with  which 
I  was  specially  impressed. 

"President  Kimball  opened  by  stating  that  there 
were  many  within  hearing  who  had  often  wished  that 
they  had  been  associated  with  the  Prophet  Joseph.  'You 
imagine,'  said  he,  'that  you  would  have  stood  by  him 
when  persecution  raged  and  he  was  assailed  by  foes  within 
and  without.  You  would  have  defended  him  and  been 
true  to  him  in  the  midst  of  every  trial.  You  think  you 
would  have  been  delighted  to  have  shown  your  integrity 
in  the  days  of  mobs  and  traitors. 

"  'Let  me  say  to  you,  that  many  of  you  will  see  the 
time  when  you  will  have  all  the  trouble,  trial  and  perse- 
cution that  you  can  stand,  and  plenty  of  opportunities  to 
show  that  you  are  true  to  God  and  his  work.  This 
Church  has  before  it  many  close  places  through  which  it 
will  have  to  pass  before  the  work  of  God  is  crowned 
with  victory.  To  meet  the  difficulties  that  are  coming,  it 
will  be  necessary  for  you  to  have  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth  of  this  work  for  yourselves.  The  difficulties  will 
be  of  such  a  character  that  the  man  or  woman  who  does 
not  possess  this  personal  knowledge  or  witness  will  fall. 
If  you  have  not  got  the  testimony,  live  right  and  call 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  461 

upon  the  Lord  and   cease   not  till  you  obtain  it.     If  you 
do  not  you  will  not  stand. 

"'  Remember  these  sayings,  for  many  of  you  will 
live  to  see  them  fulfilled.  The  time  will  come  when  no 
man  nor  woman  will  be  able  to  endure  on  borrowed 
light.  Each  will  have  to  be  guided  by  the  light  within 
himself.  If  you  do  not  have  it,  how  can  you  stand?  Do 
you  believe  it  ? 

"  'How  is  it  now?  You  have  the  First  Presidency, 
from  whom  you  can  get  counsel  to  guide  you,  and  you 
rely  on  them.  The  time  will  come  when  they  will  not 
be  with  you.  Why  ?  Because  they  will  have  to  flee 
and  hide  up  to  keep  out  of  the  hands  of  their  enemies. 
You  have  the  Twelve  now.  You  will  not  always  have 
them,  for  they  too  will  be  hunted  and  will  have  to  keep 
out  of  the  way  of  their  enemies.  You  have  other  men 
to  whom  you  look  for  counsel  and  advice.  Many  of 
them  will  not  be  amongst  you,  for  the  same  reason. 
You  will  be  left  to  the  light  within  yourselves.  If  you 
don't  have  it  you  will  not  stand ;  therefore  seek  for  the 
testimony  of  Jesus  and  cleave  to  it,  that  when  the  trying 
time  comes  you  may  not  stumble  and  fall.' 

"The  main  object  of  the  discourse  was  to  impress 
the  people  with  the  importance  of  having  light  and 
knowledge  direct  from  God  within  themselves.  The  pro- 
phetic part  was  given  as  the  leading  reason  why  they 
should  be  in  possession  of  an  individual  testimony,  as  it 
defined  to  some  extent  the  character  of  the  trials  to 
which  the  Saints  would  be  subjected.  That  Brother 
Kimball's  predictions  have  been,  in  part,  at  least,  already 
fulfilled,  must  be  clear  to  all  who  are  familiar  with  the 
events  of  the  last  few  years.  In  the  course  of  his 
remarks  on  the  occasion  in  point  he  several  times  said: 
4  You  will  have  all  the  persecution  you  want  and  more 


462  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

too,  and  all  the  opportunity  to   show  your  integrity  to 
God  and  truth  that  you  could  desire.' 

"The  foregoing  statement  is  probably  not  as  abso- 
lutely correct  as  could  have  been  given  immediately 
after  the  delivery  of  the  discourse,  but  it  is  so  in  sub- 
stance. Probably  there  are  many  others  who  heard  it 
who  will  remember  it  when  it  is  brought  to  their  recol- 
lection." 

ELDER  HENRY  W,  NAISBITT  adds  this  endorsement: 

"I  was    present    on    the  occasion    when  President 

Heber  C.  Kimball  delivered  the  discourse  described  in 

the    foregoing    communication,    and    the     statement   as 

therein  given  is  correct,  as  I  remember  it." 

WM.  H.  BEARD  ESQ.  sends  the  following  from  his 
home  in  Spiceland,  Indiana: 

"In  the  spring  of  1884,  I  called  at  the  home  of  your 
father,  the  late  lamented  H.  K.  Whitney,  and  while  there 
had  the  pleasure  of  viewing  a  fairly  executed  portrait  of 
the  deceased  President  Kimball,  and  having  previously 
read  something  of  him  as  viewed  by  Gentile  historians, 
I  conceived  the  idea  of  learning  from  his  own  people, 
those  who  had  known  him  long  and  well,  his  religious 
and  social  standing,  during  some  of  the  most  eventful 
periods  of  his  life.  I  conversed  with  quite  a  number  of 
persons  who  claimed  to  have  known  him,  and  the  uni- 
versal expression  was  "he  was  a  true,  noble  and  worthy 
man.'  In  glancing  over  the  musty  pages  of  a  reporter's 
book  used  on  that  occasion  I  find  an  account  of  the  fol- 
lowing interview  with  an  old-time  friend  of  the  deceased, 
written  with  an  unsteady  hand,  but  still  legible,  and 
marked  with  conspicuous  head  lines.  I  give  the  report 
just  as  it  appears,  thinking,  perhaps,  you  may  find  in  it 
a  few  facts  worthy  of  remembrance. 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  463 

''The  gentleman  who  favored  me  with  this  inter- 
view, was  bending  beneath  the  weight  of  accumulated 
years,  but  he  seemed  to  possess  an  extraordinarily  brill- 
iant mind,  coupled  with  a  remarkable  gift  of  memory. 
After  extending  the  usual  courtesies  due  a  stranger,  I 
ventured  to  ask:  'Will  you  please  tell  me  what  you 
know  of  the  late  Heber  C.'  Kimball?'  A  pleasant  smile 
lit  up  his  face,  and  in  a  calm,  steady  voice  he  proceeded 
in  substance  as  follows.  'I  have  known  President  Kim- 
ball  for  more  than  half  a  century.  I  knew  him  in  his 
youth,  through  all  the  changing  developments  of  his 
early  manhood,  and  when  his  hair  was  whitened,  and  his 
cheeks  furrowed  by  the  approach  of  age.  He  was  a 
brave,  noble  and  dignified  man,  possessing  more  true 
virtues  than  the  world  will  ever  know.  He  was  an 
affectionate  husband,  a  devoted  father  and  a  kind  and 
generous  friend.  He  always  had  consolation  for  the 
despondent,  a  helping  hand  for  the  needy,  and  a  tear  for 
the  sorrowing  and  afflicted.  In  oratory  he  was  not  elo- 
quent, but  his  thoughts  were  always  expressed  in  such  a 
calm,  pleasing  and  effective  manner  as  to  deeply  impress 
his  hearers.  He  was  strong  in  his  religious  convictions, 
thoroughly  familiar  with  every  tenet  of  the  Mormon 
faith,  and  a  fervent  advocate  of  the  right.  He  admired 
true  manliness  in  every  relation  of  life,  and  was  always 
found  on  the  side  of  justice  and  truth.  He  firmly  believed 
in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  church,  and  often  spoke 
of  the  wrongs  endured  by  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  their 
continuous  struggles  for  religious  freedom.  He  was  a 
leading  light  for  his  oppressed  people,  and  no  one  ever 
knew  him  unfaithful  to  his  trust,  or  unduly  exacting  in 
his  official  life.  He  loved  to  share  our  sorrows,  and 
enjoy  our  happiness,  for  he  had  a  warm  and  generous 
heart.  His  mind  was  broad  and  searching,  and  had  he 


464  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

possessed  a  penchant  for  military  renown,  he  could  have 
succeeded  admirably  as  a  commander  of  armies.  As  a 
statesman  he  could  have  been  an  honor  to  the  republic, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  his  unpopular  faith  he  could  have 
filled  almost  any  position  in  life  to  which  humanity 
aspires.  In  the  death  of  this  great  man  the  Church  has 
lost  one  of  its  most  valued  members ;  but  our  society 
through  all  the  coming  years,  will  remember  him  in  their 
prayers,  and  continue  to  contribute  sacred  tears  to  his 
memory  and  great  moral  worth.'' 

As  an  appropriate  ending  for  this  chapter,  we 
append  a  truthful  tribute  from  the  pen  of  PRESIDENT 
GEORGE  Q,  CANNON: 

"  Heber  Chase  Kimball  was  one  of  the  greatest  men 
of  this  age.  There  was  a  certain  nobility  about  his 
appearance  as  well  as  his  disposition  that  would  have 
made  him  conspicuous  in  any  community,  and  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  afforded  ample  scope  for  the  exercise 
of  his  ability,  and  the  trying  scenes  through  which  he 
passed  called  into  play  his  best  powers. 

"He  was  a  man  of  commanding  presence,  with  eyes 
so  keen  as  to  almost  pierce  one  through,  and  before 
which  the  guilty  involuntarily  quailed.  He  was  fearless 
and  powerful  in  rebuking  the  wrong-doer,  but  kind, 
benevolent  and  fatherly  to  the  deserving.  He  possessed 
such  wonderful  control  over  the  passions  of  men,  com- 
bined with  such  wisdom  and  diplomacy,  that  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  called  him  'the  peace-maker.'  His  great 
faith,  zeal,  earnestness,  devotion  to  principle,  cheerful- 
ness under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  energy,  perse- 
verance and  honest  simplicity  marked  him  as  no  ordi- 
nary man.  He  possessed  great  natural  force  and  strong 
will  power,  yet  in  his  submission  to  the  Priesthood  and 
obedience  to  the  laws  of  God  he  set  a  pattern  to  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  465 

whole  Church.  His  example  throughout  life  was  one  of 
which  his  posterity  may  ever  think  with  pride,  and  which 
the  Saints  generally  will  do  well  to  follow. 

"No  man,  perhaps,  Joseph  Smith  excepted,  who 
has  belonged  to  the  Church  in  this  generation,  ever  pos- 
sessed the  gift  of  prophecy  to  a  greater  degree  than 
Brother  Kimball.  Although  not  at  all  pretentious,  he 
was  somewhat  celebrated  among  his  acquaintances  for 
his  prophetic  inspiration.  Scores  of  predictions  were 
made  by  him  and  literally  fulfilled. 

"  Brother  Kimball  was  the  only  one  of  his  father's 
family  who  embraced  the  gospel,  but  now  his  is  one  of 
the  most  numerous  families  in  the  Church.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  was  the  father  of  sixty-five  children,  of 
whom  thirty  males  and  eleven  females  were  then  living. 
His  direct  descendants  now  number  nearly  two  hundred 
souls." 


so 


CHAPTER  LXIV 

GEMS     FROM     THE     WORDS     OF      HEBER SPIRIT     RAPPINGS 

ADDRESS  AT  THE  FUNERAL    OF    MARY  FIELDING  SMITH 

LOVE,  UNITY    AND  THE  COURAGE    OF    THE    RIGHTEOUS 

JOSEPH  AND  THE  KEYS  OF    THE  KINGDOM CULTIVATION 

OF    SPIRITS HEAVEN    AND     HELL ADMINISTRATION    OF 

ANGELS     AND      THE    SPIRITS     OF     THE     ANCIENTS — THE 

RESURRECTION THE     SPIRIT    WORLD THE      CLAY    AND 

THE    POTTER A    CAUSE    OF    APOSTASY A    MIRACULOUS 

CANE THE  CHURCH  IN  HEAVEN. 

BEFORE  closing  the  record  of  his  eventful  career,  we 
propose  to  present  here  some  gems  from  the  public  say- 
ings of  President  Kimball,  as  serving  to  show  still 
further  the  spirit  and  character  of  the  man,  his  views  of 
life  and  death,  time  and  eternity,  and  likewise  forming 
links  in  the  chain  of  his  history  that  might  otherwise  be 
lacking.  In  the  hurry  of  his  later  years  he  kept  no 
regular  journal,  as  in  the  earlier  part  of  his  life,  thus 
leaving  his  biographer  to  gather  information  from  what- 
ever sources  were  available. 

These  selections  cover  a  period  of  years,  from  1852 
down  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

His  first  sermon  published  in  the  Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, happens  to  touch  on  modern  spiritualism.  He 
says: 

"The  invisible  world  are  in  trouble  ;  they  are  knock- 
ing, and  rapping,  and  muttering;  and  the  people  are 
inquiring  of  them  to  know  concerning  the  things  of  God, 
and  there  is  not  a  soul  of  them  can  tell  them  anything 
about  the  end  of  the  world.  They  are  in  a  dreadful 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  467 

situation  ;  and  in  the  city  of  Rochester,  near  where  I  used 
to  live,  the  last  information  I  received  from  there,  there 
were  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  spiritual  writers  in  that 
city.  I  have  a  brother-in-law  there,  who  is  a  Presbyter- 
ian priest;  he  couldn't  enquire  of  God  about  future 
things,  so  he  enquired  of  the  spirits ;  but  they  could  not 
tell  him  anything  about  the  dead  nor  the  living.  They  are 
just  about  as  intelligent  in  their  revelations  as  this  world 
are  in  theirs.  They  are  all  in  commotion — what  is  going 
to  be  done?  I  will  tell  you — God  is  going  to  make  a 
short  work  upon  the  earth,  and  the  invisible  world  are 
troubled  about  it." 

His  second  published  discourse  was  a  funeral  address 
in  memory  of  Mary  Fielding  Smith,  the  wife  of  Hyrum 
Smith,  who  died  at  his  house  September  22nd,  1852. 
Here  is  his  tribute  to  that  estimable  woman  : 

"As  regards  Sister  Mary  Smith's  situation  and  cir- 
cumstances, I  have  no  trouble  at  all,  for  if  any  person 
has  lived  the  life  of  a  Saint,  she  has.  If  any  person  has 
acted  the  part  of  a  mother,  she  has.  I  may  say  she  has 
acted  the  part  of  a  mother,  and  a  father,  and  a  bishop. 
She  has  had  a  large  family,  and  several  old  people  to 
take  care  of,  and  which  she  has  maintained  for  years  by 
her  economy  and  industry. 

"One  thing  I  am  glad  of,  and  I  feel  to  rejoice  in  the 
providence  of  God  that  things  have  been  as  they  have. 
She  came  here  sick  on  the  Sabbath,  eight  weeks  ago  last 
Sunday,  for  me  to  lay  hands  upon  her.  She  was  laid 
prostrate  upon  her  bed,  and  was  not  able  to  recover 
afterwards.  I  felt  as  though  it  was  a  providential  cir- 
cumstance that  it  so  happened.  She  always  expressed 
that  she  knew  the  thing  was  dictated  by  the  Lord  that 
she  should  be  placed  in  my  house,  though  accidentally. 
She  probably  would  not  have  lived  so  long,  had  she  been 


468  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

where  she  could  not  have  had  the  same  care.  On  Tues- 
day evening,  eight  weeks  and  two  days  since,  she  came 
here  sick ;  from  that  time  until  her  death  she  was  prayer- 
ful and  humble.  I  have  never  seen  a  person  in  my  life 
that  had  a  greater  desire  to  live  than  she  had,  and  there 
was  only  one  thing  she  desired  to  live  for,  and  that  was 
to  see  to  her  family ;  it  distressed  her  to  think  that  she 
could  not  see  to  them ;  she  wept  about  it.  She  expe- 
rienced this  anxiety  for  a  month  previous  to  her  death. 
*  *  *  I  am  glad  I  did  right  to  Sister  Mary,  and  took 
care  of  her,  and  that  my  family  had  the  pleasure  of 
nourishing  her ;  the  satisfaction  that  this  gives  me  is 
worth  more  to  me  than  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Do 
I  believe  they  know  it  in  heaven?  Yes,  as  much  as  you 
do.  I  want  to  live  all  the  time  in  righteousness,  as  I 
know  that  God  sees  me  and  all  the  works  of  His 
hands/'  ***** 

A  lesson  on  love  and  unity  is  here  given : 
"The  Gospel  and  plan  of  salvation  that  I  have 
embraced,  is  music  to  me ;  it  is  sweet  to  my  body,  and 
congenial  to  my  spirit ;  and  it  is  more  lovely  than  any- 
thing else  I  have  ever  seen  since  I  have  been  in  the  world. 
I  love  it,  and  that  is  why  I  love  this  people  better  than  any 
other  people  on  God's  earth,  because  there  was  never  a 
better  people ;  that  is,  I  am  speaking  of  the  majority  of 
them. 

"The  world  considers  it  to  be  quite  ridiculous  for 
us  to  be  of  one  heart  and  of  one  mind.  It  is  this  union 
among  those  who  are  faithful  'Mormons,'  that  makes 
the  world  afraid  of  us.  *  *  Jesus  says,  '  Except  ye 
are  one,  ye  are  not  mine'  There  is  more  oneness  in 
this  people  than  in  any  other  people  that  ever  lived  upon 
the  earth.  There  was  not  that  oneness  in  the  days  of 
Jesus,  and  I  suppose  there  never  has  been  since  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  469 

days  of  Enoch.  Because  there  was  such  a  oneness 
among  the  people  of  Enoch,  and  they  could  not  continue 
to  be  one  and  live  with  the  people  in  the  same  world, 
God  took  them  and  their  city  with  a  part  of  the  earth  to 
Himself,  and  they  sailed  away  like  one  ship  at  sea  sep- 
arating from  another." 

The  power  of  unity  and  the  courage  of  the  right- 
eous are  thus  portrayed  : 

"When  Brother  Brigham  and  myself  and  others 
left  Kirtland  to  go  to  Missouri  with  Joseph  Smith,  was 
there  any  fear  in  us?  No.  It  never  entered  into  our 
hearts  from  the  day  we  started  to  the  time  we  returned. 
I  had  a  spirit  on  me  as  much  superior  to  this  earth,  as 
the  earth  is  superior  to  the  degraded  spirits  of  the 
wicked  that  dwell  on  its  face.  It  was  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  that  stood  by  me,  and  diffused  strength  into  my 
body,  and  into  my  limbs,  until  the  very  hair  of  my  head 
felt  all  alive.  Did  they  fear  us  in  that  upper  country? 
Yes,  they  ran  as  though  they  were  never  going  to  stop 
in  the  world.  We  felt  perfectly  able  to  clear  out  that 
country  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  we  could  have  done  it,  with 
two  hundred  and  five  men,  if  the  Lord  had  commanded 
us,  as  the  Gideonites  in  days  of  old.  Yes ;  two  hun- 
dred and  five  men,  with  the  Spirit  and  power  of  God 
upon  them  and  their  faces  shining  like  the  sun,  it  cannot 
be  told  what  they  could  accomplish,  neither  can  we 
form  any  conception  of  it." 

Here  is  a  testimony  that  Joseph  gave  the  keys  of 
the  Kingdom  to  the  Twelve : 

"Since  Brother  Joseph  stepped  behind  the  vail, 
Brother  Brigham  is  his  lawful  successor.  I  bear  testi- 
mony of  what  Brother  Joseph  said  on  the  stand  at 
Nauvoo,  and  I  presume  hundreds  here  can  bear  witness 
of  the  same.  Said  he,  'these  men  that  are  set  here 


47O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

behind  me  on  this  stand,  I  have  conferred  upon  them  all 
the  power,  Priesthood,  and  authority  that  God  ever  con- 
ferred upon  me.'  There  are  hundreds  present  this  day 
who  heard  him  utter  words  to  that  effect  more  than 
once.  The  Twelve  had  then  received  their  endowments. 
Brother  Joseph  gave  them  the  endowments,  and  keys 
and  power  were  placed  upon  them  by  him,  even  as  they 
were  placed  upon  him  by  Peter,  James  and  John,  who 
ordained  him.  That  is  true,  gentlemen,  because  they 
held  the  Apostleship  last,  and  had  the  authority  to  con- 
fer it  upon  him,  or  any  whom  the  Father  had  chosen. 
Brother  Joseph  called  and  ordained  the  twelve  Apostles 
of  the  last  days,  and  placed  that  power  upon  them." 
Relative  to  the  cultivation  of  spirits  he  says : 
"If  you  do  not  cultivate  yourselves,  and  cultivate 
your  spirits  in  this  state  of  existence,  it  is  just  as  true 
as  there  is  a  God  that  liveth,  you  will  have  to  go  into 
another  state  of  existence,  and  bring  your  spirits  into 
subjection  there.  Now  you  may  reflect  upon  it,  you 
never  will  obtain  your  resurrected  bodies,  until  you  bring 
your  spirits  into  subjection.  I  am  not  talking  to  this 
earthly  house  of  mine,  neither  am  I  talking  to  your 
bodies,  but  I  am  speaking  to  your  spirits.  I  am  not 
talking  as  to  people  who  are  not  in  the  house.  Are  not 
your  spirits  in  the  house?  Are  not  your  bodies  your 
houses,  your  tabernacles  or  temples,  and  places  for  your 
spirits?  Look  at  it;  reflect  upon  it.  If  you  keep  your 
spirits  trained  according  to  the  wisdom  and  fear  of  God, 
you  will  attain  to  the  salvation  of  both  body  and  spirit. 
I  ask,  then,  if  it  is  your  spirits  that  must  be  brought  into 
subjection?  It  is;  and  if  you  do  not  do  that  in  those 
bodies,  you  will  have  to  go  into  another  estate  to  do  it. 
You  have  got  to  train  yourselves  according  to  the  law 
of  God,  or  you  will  never  obtain  your  resurrected  bodies." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  471 

Here  is  a  view  of  the   location  of  heaven  and  hell : 

"You  are  talking  about  heaven  and  about  earth,  and 
about  hell,  etc.;  but  let  me  tell  you,  you  are  in  hell  now, 
and  you  have  got  to  qualify  yourselves  here  in  hell  to 
become  subjects  for  heaven :  and  even  when  you  have 
got  into  heaven,  you  will  find  it  right  here  where  you  are 
on  this  earth.  When  we  escape  from  this  earth,  we  sup- 
pose we  are  going  to  heaven.  Do  you  suppose  you  are 
going  to  the  earth  that  Adam  came  from  ?  That  Eloheim 
came  from  ?  Where  Jehovah  the  Lord  came  from  ?  No. 
When  you  have  learned  to  become  obedient  to  the  father 
that  dwells  upon  this  earth,  to  the  Father  and  God  of 
this  earth,  and  obedient  to  the  messengers  He  sends — 
when  you  have  done  all  that,  remember  you  are  not 
going  to  leave  this  earth.  You  will  never  leave  it  until 
you  become  qualified,  and  capable,  and  capacitated  to 
become  a  father  of  an  earth  yourselves.  Not  one  soul 
of  you  ever  will  leave  this  earth,  for  if  you  go  to  hell,  it 
is  on  this  earth ;  and  if  you  go  to  heaven,  it  is  on  this 
earth;  and  you  will  not  find  it  anywhere  else." 

It  was  the  view  of  President  Kimball  that  the  angels 
are  daily  around  us.  Says  he : 

"I  am  now  in  my  fifty-fourth  year;  I  am  a  Latter- 
day  Saint,  full  in  the  faith,  and  not  only  in  the  faith,  but 
I  have  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  of  this  work.  I  know 
that  God  lives  and  dwells  in  the  heavens ;  for  I  have 
asked  Him  scores  of  times,  and  hundreds  of  times,  for 
things,  and  have  received  them.  Is  not  that  a  pretty 
good  proof  that  He  hears  me,  when  I  ask  him  for  things 
and  get  them ;  and  is  not  that  a  proof  that  He  lives,  and 
dwells  in  the  heavens?  I  think  it  is.  I  suppose  He 
dwells  there.  He  could  not  dwell  anywhere  else,  but  in 
what  particular  portion  He  dwells,  I  do  not  precisely 


472  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KTMBALL. 

know,  though  He  is  not  so  far  off  as  many  imagine.  He 
is  near  by,  His  angels  are  our  associates,  they  are  with 
us  and  around  about  us,  and  watch  over  us,  and  take 
care  of  us,  and  lead  us,  and  guide  us,  and  administer  to 
our  wants  in  their  ministry  and  in  their  holy  calling  unto 
which  they  are  appointed.  We  are  told  in  the  Bible  that 
angels  are  ministering  spirits  to  minister  to  those  who 
shall  become  heirs  of  salvation." 

We  have  the  spirits  of  the  ancients,  also,  adminis- 
tering to  the  Saints  : 

"  Who  have  you  now  in  your  midst?  Have  you 
Abraham  and  Isaac  and  the  Apostles  Peter,  James  and 
John  ?  Yes,  you  have  them  right  in  your  midst — they 
are  talking  to  you  all  the  time." 

"Who  are  you  to  be  subject  to?  You  say  you  are 
willing  to  be  subject  to  God — to  Jesus  Christ.  You  are 
willing  if  Peter  came  along,  to  listen  to  him.  Well, 
Peter, is  here,  John  is  here,  Elias  is  here,  Elijah  is  here, 
Jesus  is  here,  and  the  Father  is  here.  What!  in  person? 
If  not  in  person,  their  authority  is  here,  with  all  the 
power  that  ever  was  or  ever  will  be,  to  seal  men  and 
women  up  to  everlasting." 

Of  the  imperishable  part  of  man  and  of  the  resur- 
rection, he  says : 

"So  far  as  we  are  concerned,  we  were  taken  from 
the  earth,  and  we  may  expect  to  return  to  it  again ;  and 
that  portion  of  me  which  is  pure,  after  the  dross  of  this 
mortality  is  separated  from  it,  I  expect  will  be  Brother 
Heber.  It  is  that  which  will  be  resurrected ;  but  all  that  is 
not  pure  will  remain ;  that  is  it  will  not  go  back  into  my 
body  again  ;  and  if  there  are  ten  parts  out  of  the  hundred 
which  are  dross  and  corruption  they  will  remain  in  the 
earth ;  I  do  not  expect  to  take  that  up  again,  but  I  expect 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  473 

to  take  up  the  purified  element  that  will  endure  forever; 

still  the  dross  is  beneficial  in  its  place." 

*  *  *  *  *  * 

"Now,  will  you  go  and  pollute  yourselves,  and  lose 
the  right  and  title  to  a  resurrection,  to  dwell  with  the 
Saints,  and  with  God  the  Father,  and  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  my  brother?" 

Of  the  departed  Willard  Richards  and  the  labors  of 
the  Elders  of  Israel  in  the  spirit  world,  he  gives  quite  a 
broad  glimpse  : 

"He  (Willard)  has  gone;  and  it  will  not  be  long 
before  Brother  Brigham  and  Brother  Heber  follow  after. 
He  has  gone  to  the  world  of  spirits  to  engage  in  a  work 
he  could  not  do  if  he  had  remained  in  the  flesh.  I  do 
not  believe  he  could  have  done  as  much  work  for  the 
general  good  of  the  cause  of  God,  had  he  remained  in 
the  flesh,  as  he  can  accomplish  now  in  the  spirit ;  for 
there  is  a  work  to  do  there — the  Gospel  to  preach,  Israel 
to  gather,  that  they  may  purify  themselves,  and  become 
united  in  one  heart  and  mind. 

"What!  in  the  spirit  world?  Have  I  not  told  you 
often  that  the  separation  of  body  and  spirit  makes  no 
difference  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  condition  of  the 
spirit?  When  a  person,  who  has  always  been  good  and 
faithful  to  his  God,  lays  down  his  body  in  the  dust,  his 
spirit  will  remain  the  same  in  the  spirit  world.  It  is  not 
the  body  that  has  control  of  the  spirit,  as  |to  its  disposi- 
tion, but  it  is  the  spirit  that  controls  the  body.  When  the 
spirit  leaves  the  body  the  body  becomes  lifeless.  The 
spirit  has  not  changed  one  single  particle  of  itself  by 
leaving  the  body.  Were  I  to  fall  into  a  mud-hole  I 
should  strive  to  extricate  myself;  but  I  do  not  suppose 
I  should  be  any  better,  any  more  righteous,  any  more 
just  and  holy  when  I  got  out  of  it  than  when  I  was  in  it. 


474  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

"  Our  spirits  are  entangled  in  these  bodies — held 
captive  as  it  were  for  a  season.  They  are  like  the  poor 
Saints,  who  are  for  a  time  obliged  to  dwell  in  miserable 
mud  shanties  that  are  mouldering  away,  and  require 
much  patching  and  care  to  keep  them  from  mingling 
with  mother  earth  before  the  time.  They  feel  miserable 
in  these  old  decaying  tabernacles,  and  long  for  the  day 
when  they  can  leave  them  to  fall  and  take  possession  of 
a  good  new  house. 

"It  seems  natural  for  me  to  desire  to  be  clothed 
upon  with  immortality  and  eternal  life,  and  leave  this 
mortal  flesh ;  but  I  desire  to  stick  to  it  as  long  as  I  can  be 
a  comfort  to  my  sisters,  brethren,  wives  and  children. 
Independent  of  this  consideration  I  would  not  turn  my 
hand  over  to  live  five  minutes.  What  else  could  give 
birth  to  a  single  desire  to  live  in  this  tabernacle,  which  is 
more  or  less  shattered  by  the  merciless  storms  which 
have  beat  upon  it,  to  say  nothing  of  the  ravages  made 
upon  it  by  the  tooth  of  time  ?  While  I  cling  to  it  I  must 
of  necessity  suffer  many  pains,  rheumatism,  head-ache, 
jaw-ache  and  heart-ache ;  sometimes  in  one  part  of  my 
body  and  sometimes  in  another.  It  is  all  right ;  it  is  so- 
ordained  that  we  may  not  cling  with  too  great  a  tenacity 
to  mortal  flesh,  but  be  willing  to  pass  through  the  vail 
and  meet  with  Joseph,  and  Hyrum,  and  Willard,  and 
Bishop  Whitney  and  thousands  of  others  in  the  world  of 
spirits. 

"Are  they  all  together  as  we  are  to-day?  I  believe 
all  Israel  have  to  be  gathered;  and  to  accomplish  this 
the  Elders,  both  in  this  and  the  world  of  spirits,  will  go 
forth  to  preach  to  the  spirits  in  prison.  Where?  Down 
in  hell.  I  appeal  to  the  Elders  who  have  been  from  this 
place  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  world,  if  it  was  not 
like  going  from  heaven  to  hell.  It  is  a  world  of  sorrow, 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  475 

pain,  death  and  misery,  and  you  cannot  make  anything 
else  of  it." 

Here  is  something  on  death  and  the  after  life  : 

o 

"  As  for  death,  I  do  not  trouble  myself  much  about 
it.  When  the  time  comes  for  me  to  depart  from  this  life 
and  go  into  what  we  call  eternity,  to  pass  through  the 
vail,  it  is  simply  to  leave  the  body  to  rest  awhile,  and 
blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord,  for  their  sleep 
shall  be  sweet  unto  them.  Death  is  merely  a  sleep  of 
the  body,  and  all  the  fear  I  have  concerning  it  is  what 
arises  from  my  conditions.  I  was  taught  in  my  youth 
that  after  death  I  had  to  go  directly  into  the  bowels  of 
hell,  and  go  down,  down,  down,  because  there  was  no 
bottom  to  it.  I  am  not  troubled  about  any  such  thing  as 
that,  for  I  never  expect  to  see  any  worse  hell  than  I  have 
seen  in  this  world.  And  those  who  do  not  the  works  of 
righteousness,  and  are  not  worthy  to  be  gathered  with  the 
spirits  of  the  Saints,  will  go  into  precisely  such  society, 
in  the  world  of  spirits,  as  they  are  now  in. 

"The  spirits  of  the  Saints  will  be  gathered  in  one, 
that  is,  of  all  who  are  worthy ;  and  those  who  are  not 
just,  will  be  left  where  they  will  be  scourged,  tormented 
and  afflicted,  until  they  can  bring  their  spirits  into  sub- 
jection and  be  like  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  that 
the  potter  may  have  power  to  mould  and  fashion  them 
into  any  kind  of  vessel,  as  he  is  directed  by  the  Master 
Potter." 

In  another  sermon,  he  thus  enlarges  upon  his  favor- 
ite theme  of  "the  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter :"* 

"The  potter  tried  to  bring  a  lump  of  clay  into  sub- 
jection, and  he  worked  and  tugged  at  it,  but  the  clay  was 

*Heber's   exposition  of   this  theme  was  highly  approved  by  the  Prophet  Joseph, 
who  declared  it  to  be  the  true  interpretation. 


476  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

rebellious  and  would  not  submit  to  the  will  of  the  potter, 
and  marred  in  his  hands.  Then  of  course  he  had  to  cut 
it  from  the  wheel  and  throw  it  into  the  mill  to  be  ground 
over,  in  order  that  it  might  become  passive ;  after  which 
he  takes  it  again  and  makes  of  it  a  vessel  unto  honor, 
out  of  the  same  lump  that  was  dishonored.  *  *  There 
may  ten  thousand  millions  of  men  go  to  hell,  because 
they  dishonor  themselves  and  will  not  be  subject,  and 
after  that  they  will  be  taken  and  made  vessels  unto 
honor,  if  they  will  become  obedient.  *  *  Can  you 
find  any  fault  with  that?" 

He  gives  the  following  wise  hint  on  one  of  the 
causes  of  apostasy: 

"I  will  give  you  a  key  which  Brother  Joseph  Smith 
used  to  give  in  Nauvoo.  He  said  that  the  very  step  of 
apostasy  commenced  with  losing  confidence  in  the  leaders 
of  this  Church  and  kingdom,  and  that  whenever  you  dis- 
cerned that  spirit,  you  might  know  that  it  would  lead  the 
possessor  of  it  on  the  road  to  apostasy. 

"  No  man  or  woman  can  have  the  spirit  of  prophecy 
and  at  the  same  time  do  evil  and  speak  against  their 
brethren ;  and  you  will  find  that  man  or  that  woman  bar- 
ren and  unfruitful  in  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  filled 
with  disputations." 

Next  come  some  reminiscent  allusions,  coupled 
with  a  prophecy: 

"How  much  would  you  give  for  even  a  cane  that 
Father  Abraham  had  used,  or  a  coat  or  ring  that  the 
Savior  had  worn  ?  The  rough  oak  boxes  in  which  the 
bodies  of  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  brought  from  Car- 
thage, were  made  into  canes  and  other  articles.  I  have  a 
cane  made  from  the  plank  of  one  of  those  boxes,  so 
has  Brother  Brigham  and  a  great  many  others,  and  we 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  477 

prize  them  highly  and  esteem  them  a  great  blessing.  I 
want  to  carefully  preserve  my  cane,  and  when  I  am  done 
with  it  here  I  shall  hand  it  down  to  my  heir,  with  instruc- 
tions to  him  to  do  the  same.*  And  the  day  will  come 
when  there  will  be  multitudes  who  will  be  healed  and 
blessed  through  the  instrumentality  of  those  canes,  and 
the  devil  cannot  overcome  those  who  have  them,  in  con- 
sequence of  their  faith  and  confidence  in  the  virtues  con- 
nected with  them. 

"If  I  had  those  relics  of  Abraham  and  the  Savior 
which  I  have  mentioned,  I  would  give  a  great  deal  for 
them.  In  England  when  not  in  a  situation  to  go,  I  have 
blessed  my  handkerchief  and  asked  God  to  sanctify  it 
and  fill  it  with  life  and  power,  and  sent  it  to  the  sick ; 
and  hundreds  have  been  healed  by  it;  in  like  manner  I 
have  sent  my  cane.  Dr.  Richards  used  to  lay  his  old  black 
cane  on  a  person's  head  and  that  person  has  been  healed 
through  its  instrumentality,  by  the  power  of  God.  I  have 
known  Joseph  hundreds  of  times  to  send  his  handker- 
chief to  the  sick,  and  they  have  been  healed.  There  are 
persons  in  this  congregation  who  have  been  healed  by 
throwing  my  old  cloak  on  their  beds." 

This  of  the  Church  organization  in  heaven  : 
"When  you  go  into  heaven,  into  the  celestial  world, 
you  will  see  the  Church  organized  just  as  it  is  here,  and 
you  will  find  all  the  officers  down  to  the  Deacon.  Our 
Church  organization  is  a  manifestation  of  things  as  they  are 
in  heaven,  and  you  are  all  the  time  praying  that  the 
Church  here  may  be  brought  into  union  and  set  in  order 
as  it  is  in  heaven." 

*This  cane  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Bishop  Abram  A.  Kimball,  who  testifies  that 
healing  virtues  attach  to  it. 


• 


CHAPTER  LXV. 

GEMS      FROM     HEBER's     WORDS     CONTINUED HIS     STRIKING 

VIEW    OF  TIME  AND  ETERNITY HIS  WORDS  AND  WORKS 

AT    THE    LAST    CONFERENCE    PRECEDING    HIS    DEATH 

HIS  LAST  SERMON. 

As  President  Kimball  advanced  in  years  the  tone  of 
his  mind  seemed  to  deepen,  and  often  was  displayed  not 
only  that  quaint  originality  which  made  him  a  marked 
individual  throughout  his  life,  but  he  frequently  flashed 
out  thoughts  at  once  brilliant  and  profound.  Here,  for 
instance,  is  a  philosophical  spark  on  "Time  and  Eternity," 
struck  from  his  mind  at  the  age  of  sixty: 

"  People  talk  much  about  time  and  eternity,  and 
they  say  they  do  not  care  so  much  for  eternity  as  they 
do  for  time.  And  again,  others  say  they  do  not  care  so 
much  about  time  as  they  do  about  eternity.  They  do 
not  think  for  a  moment  what  they  are  talking  about. 
What  is  time?  (striking  the  pulpit.)  That  is  all  there  is 
about  it.  That  little  circumstance  of  my  striking  the 
pulpit  is  in  eternity.  It  is  eternity  on  the  right  and  on 
the  left,  behind  and  before,  and  the  time  being,  as  it 
appears  to  us,  is  the  centre  of  it.  So  we  pass  on  from 
time  to  eternity  every  day  we  live.  We  are  in  eternity. 
Civilized  nations  have  divided  a  portion  of  eternity  into 
seconds,  minutes,  hours,  days,  months  and  years  for 
their  own  convenience,  to  mark  their  passage  through 
time. 

"The  uncivilized  or  savage  tribes  of  men,  the  Ameri- 
can Indians,  for  instance,  have  no  other  calendar  than 
incidents  in  nature,  such  as  the  rising  and  setting  of  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  479 

sun,  hence  they  count  by  so  many  sleeps ;  the  full  and 
dark  of  the  moon,  hence  they  count  by  so  many  moons. 
In  short,  the  only  idea  we  have  of  time  is  gathered  from 
natural  phenomena  in  eternity.  We  might  introduce  here 
a  comparison  of  a  ship  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic.  Is 
it  not  a  pathless  waste  of  waters  all  around  to  the  pas- 
sengers on  board,  except  on  the  frail  timbers  where 
they  stand?  So  it  is  with  eternity,  with  this  difference, 
eternity  is  shoreless. 

"Let  the  brethren  and  sisters  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  now  is  the  time  to  set  out  anew,  and  then  con- 
tinue from  this  time  henceforth  and  forever  in  doing 
right.  If  any  of  you  have  been  in  the  practice  of  drink- 
ing spirituous  liquors  to  excess,  cease  at  once  the  wicked 
and  destructive  practice.  If  such  a  practice  is  com- 
mitted, it  has  its  time,  and  makes  its  mark  on  the  broad 
face  of  eternity;  if  you  cease  the  practice  no  time  is 
given  to  it,  and  it  cannot  leave  its  trace  on  eternity  from 
that  instant  until  you  again  commit  the  same  wrong. 
This  reasoning  will  apply  to  every  other  wrong  com- 
mitted by  the  children  of  men. 

"Let  us  spend  time  in  doing  right,  and  we  shall 
receive  in  the  Lord's  time  right  for  right,  grace  for  grace. 
If  we  do  not  associate  with  the  wicked  world  any  more 
than  is  unavoidably  necessary  for  the  time  being,  do  you 
think  they  will  have  anything  in  common  with  us  in  eter- 
nity?—  or  we  with  them?  No." 

The  thought  that  the  present  moment  is  the  centre 
of  all  eternity  is  worthy  of  a  philosopher  and  a  poet. 
So  also  is  the  idea  that  our  evil  deeds,  performed  in 
time,  make  their  mark  "on  the  broad  face  of  eternity." 
His  figure  of  the  ship  in  mid-ocean  with  "the  pathless 
waste  of  waters  all  around,"  is  decidedly  beautiful.  In 
fact,  these  passages,  with  many  others  that  might  be 


480  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

quoted  from  his  sermons  and  sayings,  show  how  largely 
Heber  C.  Kimball  was  endowed  with  those  qualities  of 
mind  known  as  causality  and  comparison.  Who  can 
doubt  that,  had  he  been  classically  educated,  he  would 
have  taken  high  rank  among  profound  and  learned 
men? 

The  thirty-eighth  annual  conference  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  was  the  last  conference 
he  attended.  He  there  spoke  several  times.  Of  his 
first  address  the  reporter  says  : 

"President  H.  C.  Kimball  reasoned  on  the  principle 
of  unity,  its  growth  among  the  Saints,  and  the  course  to 
be  pursued  by  them  —  the  obedience,  faithfulness  and 
diligence  necessary  to  reach  that  condition  of  unity 
required  of  us.  We  look  forward  with  anticipation  to 
building  up  the  centre  stake  of  Zion ;  and  many  are 
anxious  for  it  and  will  expect  to  be  included  among 
those  called  to  go  to  Jackson  county,  who  realize  but 
little  of  the  progress  they  have  to  make  before  they  are 
prepared  to  do  so.  We  have  to  become  much  more 
united,  to  put  away  evil  from  us,  to  shun  evil  speaking, 
and  realize  the  full  meaning  of  the  injunction,  'touch 
not  Mine  anointed,  and  do  My  Prophets  no  harm.'  If 
we  do  wrong  we  must  make  restitution,  cease  all  wicked- 
ness, shun  iniquity  of  every  kind,  and  live  to  so  possess 
the  Spirit  of  God  that  it  will  guide  and  direct  us.  The 
angels  and  holy  beings  in  the  eternal  worlds  are  inter- 
ested in  the  work  of  God  in  which  we  are  engaged ; 
they  watch  its  progress ;  and  they  exercise  care  over 
those  who  are  laboring  to  spread  truth  and  right- 


eousness." 


Of  his  address  to  the  Saints  at  a  succeeding  meet- 
ing of   the  conference,   the  Church  reporter  continues: 
"President  H.  C.  Kimball   said   if  anybody  wished 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  481 

to  see  a  miracle  they  had  only  to  look  upon  the  congre- 
gation before  him,  and  look  back  over  the  growth  of  the 
Church  from  the  time  when  the  entire  members  of  it 
could  be  seated  in  a  small  room ;  and  we  are  increasing 
rapidly.  He  urged  the  exercise  of  increasing  watchcare 
over  our  growing  sons  and  daughters.  They  should  all 
attend  meetings  regularly,  learn  the  principles  of  truth 
and  grow  up  to  be  more  useful.  He  was  in  favor  of 
ordaining  the  boys  to  the  Priesthood,  and  watching  and 
training  them  with  great  care,  that  they  might  learn  of 
the  power  and  importance  of  the  blessing  thus  bestowed 
upon  them.  The  spirit  and  sealing  power  of  Elias  are 
with  President  Young,  to  seal  together  the  fathers  and  the 
children,  that  they  may  be  one  and  that  the  whole  people 
may  be  united  in  working  out  salvation.  We  should  all 
take  a  course  to  save  our  offspring ;  and  the  man  who 
cannot  save  his  children — his  family,  cannot  save  himself." 

The  following  is  the  notice  of  his  last  public  speak- 
ing, which  occurred  on  the  7th  of  June,  just  previous  to 
his  death: 

"  President  H.  C.  Kimball  spoke  at  some  length  oil 
the  power  and  order  of  the  Priesthood,  instructing  the 
congregation  upon  various  things  connected  therewith, 
He  pointed  out  the  blessings  flowing  from  obedience 
to  the  authority  which  the  Lord  has  conferred  upon  His 
servants  on  the  earth ;  and  the  evil  results  which  follow 
disobedience  and  rebellion ;  for  the  Lord  governs  and 
rules  in  all  worlds,  and  we  cannot,  if  we  would,  get  to 
any  place  where  His  power  is  not." 

His  closing  words  at  this  time  were  almost  a  proph- 
ecy of  his  approaching  end ;  being  upon  the  subject  of 
family  training,  during  which  he  quoted  from  the  revela- 
tion wherein  the  Lord  commands  His  servants  to  set 
their  houses  in  order. 

31 


CHAPTER  LXVI. 

DEATH  OF  VILATE,  THE  WIFE  OF  HEBER's  YOUTH PRESIDENT 

BRIGHAM    YOUNG    PREACHES    HER    FUNERAL    SERMON 

HIS  FEELING  TRIBUTE  TO  HER  MEMORY HEBER  PROPH- 
ESIES OF  HIS  OWN  DEATH. 

ON  the  22nd  of  October,  1867,  there  was  gloom  in 
the  household  of  Heber  C.  Kimball.  On  that  day  died 
Vilate,  the  partner  of  his  youth,  the  noble  and  unselfish 
sharer  of  his  life's  joys  and  sorrows.  In  the  sixty-second 
year  of  her  age,  after  an  almost  unexampled  life  of  toil, 
heroism  and  self-sacrifice,  God  called  her  home  to  a 
glorious  rest. 

One  of  the  immediate  causes  which  led  to  her  death 
—though  for  months  she  had  been  a  sufferer,  and  the 
sun  of  her  life  was  visibly  setting — was  the  untimely 
end  of  her  son,  Brigham  Willard  Kimball,  who  died  on 
the  plains  while  returning  from  a  mission  to  England. 
Vilate  took  the  death  of  her  son  very  much  to  heart, 
and  her  grief  over  the  event  is  supposed  to  have  has- 
tened the  termination  of  her  own  life. 

Her  loss  was  a  heavy  blow  to  her  sorrowing  hus- 
band. Heber' s  struggle,  in  faith  and  prayer,  to  hold 
her  to  earth,  was  almost  as  great  as  that  of  death  to  take 
her  away.  He  related  that  when  she  first  fell  sick,  on 
going  into  her  room  to  administer  to  her,  he  saw,  stand- 
ing at  the  head  of  her  bed,  an  evil  spirit,  a  female. 
Kneeling  down  he  prayed,  and  then  rebuked  the  appari- 
tion in  the  name  of  Jesus.  It  disappeared,  but  soon 
returned  with  a  host  of  fallen  beings. 

He  then  called  in  several  other  Elders,  and  unitedly 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  483 

they  rebuked  the  evil  spirits,  when  they  departed,  and 
he  saw  them  no  more  at  that  time. 

Thus  he  struggled  on,  hoping  and  praying  to  the 
end  that  she  might  be  spared.  Sometimes,  in  his  yearn- 
ing for  the  continuance  of  their  companionship  here  a 
while  longer,  it  seemed  as  though  he  would  prevail  with 
the  Lord.  But  the  last  hope  of  this  at  length  faded,  the 
end  came,  and  he  bowed  in  resignation  to  the  inevitable. 

"I  shall  not  be  long  after  her,"  was  the  sad  proph- 
ecy that  fell  from  his  quivering  lips,  as  he  followed  the 
remains  of  his  beloved  partner  to  the  tomb. 

The  thread  of  Vilate's  life  has  been  fully  traced  in 
that  of  her  noble  husband,  at  whose  side  she  stood  as  a 
helpmeet  and  a  heroine  for  five  and  forty  years.  But 
the  record  has  only  been  traced,  not  told,  and  angel 
tongues  must  take  up  the  theme  which  mortal  pen  were 
powerless  to  unfold. 

Her  pure  spirit  took  its  heavenward  flight  at  about 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  funeral  services 
over  her  remains  were  held  on  Wednesday  the  24th  of 
October,  at  her  residence  in  Salt  Lake  City.  There 
were  present  on  the  occasion  to  pay  their  last*  respects 
to  her  sainted  memory,  President  Brigham  Young, 
Elders  Orson  Pratt,  John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff, 
Geo.  A.  Smith,  Geo.  Q.  Cannon,  Joseph  F.  Smith,  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles ;  Patriarchs  John  Smith,  John 
Young;  President  Joseph  Young;  Bishops  P.  H.  Young, 
Lorenzo  Dow  Young,  John  Sharp,  E.  F.  Sheets ;  many 
principal  citizens  and  a  vast  concourse  of  friends. 

After  appropriate  singing,  and  a  prayer  by  Elder 
Joseph  Young,  President  Brigham  Young  pronounced 
the  funeral  address.  He  said  that  he  had  not  come  to 
weep  because  the  body  of  Sister  Kimball  was  laid  in  the 
coffin ;  if  he  wept  it  was  because  he  saw  his  friends 


484  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

weeping  around  him,  but  there  was  no  cause  for  weep- 
ing, and  he  would  say,  let  us  dry  up  our  tears.     He  was 
reminded  of  the   time  when  the  deceased  and  Brother 
Kimball  stood  by  him  when  his  first  wife  was  taken  from 
him.      He  felt  then  to  rejoice  in  the  glorious  hopes  which 
the  gospel  had  revealed  to  them,  and   he  could   say  of 
those  who  had  died  that  there  was  no  period  known  to 
them   in   which   they  could   experience   so   much  joy  as 
when  they  had  passed  through  the  portals   of  death  and 
entered  upon  the  glorious  change  into  the  spirit  world. 
He  had  known  intimately  Sister  Kimball  for  nearly  forty 
years,  and  from   that  time   to   this,    if  any  person   ever 
found  fault  with  her,  it  was  more   than   he   knew.     Her 
life,  conversation,  feelings,  kindness  to  her  family  and  to 
her  neighbors   seemed  all  to  come   before  him,  and  he 
could  say  of  a  truth  that  a  better  woman  never  lived — 
according  to  her  knowledge.     She  was  ever  disposed  to 
do  good  and  to   meet   every  obligation   that  devolved 
upon  her.     He   had   been   cherished  and  comforted   by 
her  in   hours   of  affliction,    and   knew  her  kindness   of 
heart.     Since  he  had  heard  of  her  death,  he  had  experi- 
enced none  but  joyful  feelings  —  for  she  had  lived  the 
life  of  a  Saint — till  he  had  come  to  sit  beside  her  bier. 
It  did   not  belong  to  the  manhood  which  God  had  given 
them  to  mourn  on  such  occasions,  but  it  was  through  the 
weakness  of  their  fallen  nature  that  they  were  overcome. 
Her  spirit  had  now  passed  into  the  spirit  world,  to  wait 
with  the  spirits  of  the    just  the  morning  of  the  resurrec- 
tion.    She  had  kept  the  faith,  and  with  all  who  had  par- 
taken of  the  holy  Priesthood,  was   beyond  the  powers  of 
death,  and  can  no  more  be  afflicted.     It  was  his  faith  that 
Joseph  the  Prophet  would  be  the  first  resurrected  of  the 
last  dispensation,  and  that  to  him  would  be   committed 
the  keys  of  the  resurrection,  and  through  him  would  the 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  485 

powers  of  the  resurrection  be  extended  to  others  till  all 
who  had  been  faithful  would  be  resurrected  in  glory. 
He  concluded  with  kindly  words  of  the  deceased,  reiter- 
ating affectionate  sentiments,  and  assuring  the  afflicted 
family  and  friends  that  her  life  had  been  as  honorable  as 
any  woman  who  had  ever  lived,  and  that  she  had  secured 
her  resurrection  with  the  just. 

President  Young  was  followed  by  others,  including 
President  Kimball,  who  spake  most  touchingly  of  the 
virtues  of  his  faithful  wife. 

Her  remains  were  laid  in  the  family  burial   ground. 

So  closed  the  mortal  career  of  one  of  the  noblest 
of  women,  the  purity  and  loftiness  of  whose  character 
will  loom  as  a  monument  through  coming  ages,  while 
the  memory  of  her  good  deeds  will  shine  forever  like 
the  pathway  of  the  just. 


CHAPTER    LXVII. 

DEATH  OF  APOSTLE  KIMBALL ALL  ISRAEL  MOURNS EXPRES- 
SIONS IN  HONOR  OF  THE  ILLUSTRIOUS  DEAD. 

THE  words  of  Heber  were  indeed  prophetic,  that  he 
should  not  be  long  on  earth  after  the  departure  of  the 
beloved  wife  of  his  youth.  The  event  for  which  both 
had  earnestly  prayed,  that  they  might  live  and  die,  and 
rise  and  reign  together,  was  destined  by  the  heavens 
to  be. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22nd  of  June,  1868, — eight 
months  later  to  a  day — death  again  entered  the  house- 


486  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

hold,  leveling  his  fatal  shaft  at  the  mighty  heart  of  its 
patriarchal  head.  At  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  his 
mind  yet  unimpaired,  his  iron  frame  unbent  by  age,  but 
with  health  shattered  by  toil  and  trial  in  the  service  of  his 
Maker,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  the  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ, 
the  tried  and  trusted  friend  of  God,  passed  peacefully 
from  earth  away. 

His  death  was  superinduced  by  a  severe  fall,  sus- 
tained by  him  several  weeks  before.  He  had  driven 
from  Salt  Lake  City  to  Provo,  alone,  arriving  there  in 
the  night.  While  nearing  his  residence  in  that  city, 
where  lived  his  wife  Lucy  and  her  family,  the  wheels  of 
his  buggy  went  suddenly  into  a  ditch,  throwing  him  over 
the  forward  wheels  violently  upon  the  ground.  After 
lying  for  some  time  stunned  and  helpless,  and  chilled  by 
the  night  air,  he  was  finally  discovered  and  assisted  into 
the  house  by  his  friend,  Bishop  A.  F.  Macdonald. 

This  accident,  though  he  partly  recovered  from  its 
effects,  was  the  immediate  fore-runner  of  his  fatal  sickness. 

The  Deseret  Evening  News  of  Monday,  June  22nd, 
1868,  in  an  extended  editorial  thus  announced  his 
death : 

"A  prince  and  a  great  man  has  this  day  passed  from 
among  us!  President  Heber  Chase  Kimball,  who  was 
born  June  i4th,  1801,  fell  asleep  at  20  minutes  to  n 
o'clock  this  morning,  June  22nd,  after  a  pilgrimage  on 
the  earth  of  sixty-seven  years  and  eight  days.  Many  of 
the  residents  of  this  city  will  be  prepared  to  hear  this  sad 
news ;  but  upon  the  Saints  throughout  this  Territory  and 
in  foreign  lands,  it  will  fall  unexpectedly  and  heavily. 
Two  weeks  ago  yesterday  he  preached  in  the  new  taber- 
nacle, and  those  who  listened  to  him  on  that  occasion 
could  not  have  imagined  from  his  appearance  that  in  so 
brief  a  period  as  has  since  elapsed  we  should  only  have 
his  lifeless  remains  to  gaze  upon.  Since  he  was  thrown 
from  his  buggy  last  spring  in  Provo,  his  family  and  inti- 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  487 

mate  associates  have  noticed  that  his  health  was  not  so 
good  as  it  had  been ;  but  a  casual  observer  would  not 
have  perceived  any  change ;  he  moved  around  and 
attended  to  his  duties  with  his  accustomed  diligence  and 
vigor.  On  the  loth  instant,  at  the  mass  meeting  in  the 
new  tabernacle,  it  was  remarked  that  his  face  was  very 
much  flushed.  He  complained  that  day  of  dizziness, 
and  torpidity  of  his  right  side ;  he  attributed  the  feeling 
to  rheumatism,  with  which  he  was  sometimes  affected. 
The  next  day,  Thursday,  the  iith,  he  went  down  town 
twice ;  but  his  family  and  others  noticed  that  in  walking, 
he  did  not  use  his  right  leg  with  his  usual  freedom.  On 
Friday,  the  i2th,  he  arose  in  the  morning  and  dressed 
himself;  but  was  compelled  to  return  to  bed.  His  son 
Heber  called  upon  him,  and  he  conversed  quite  freely 
with  him  about  his  affairs.  This  was  the  last  conversa- 
tion of  any  length  that  he  had  with  any  person.  It  was 
soon  plainly  apparent  that  he  was  attacked  with  paralysis 
of  the  right  side,  and  from  this  time  until  his  death,  he 
was  only  able  to  utter  a  sentence  occasionally,  though 
most  of  the  time  he  appeared  to  be  fully  conscious  of 
everything  transpiring  around  him.  When  his  particu- 
lar friends  called  upon  him,  especially  Presidents  Young 
and  Wells,  he  seemed  to  arouse  himself  to  speak,  and  by 
the  pressure  of  their  hands  and  the  beaming  of  his  coun- 
tenance, would  signify  his  pleasure  at  seeing  them.  Until 
Saturday  last  it  was  hoped  that  he  would  recover  and  be 
himself  again.  Every  indication  of  a  change  for  the 
better  was  eagerly  noted.  Every  one  was  reluctant  to 
admit  that  Brother  Heber  would  not  recover.  If  such  a 
thought  presented  itself  it  was  immediately  repelled. 
But  on  Saturday  evening  it  was  visible  to  all  that  he  was 
changing  for  the  worse.  Yesterday  he  failed  rapidly. 
From  early  in  the  morning  until  afternoon  his  body 
suffered,  though  he  himself  seemed  unconscious  of  it. 
He  was  administered  to  by  President  Young  and  the 
Twelve,  and  he  was  much  relieved.  Towards  evening 
he  rallied,  opened  his  eyes  and  for  some  time  was  con- 
scious, and  appeared  to  recognize  those  who  stood  around 
him.  This  was  the  last  awakening  of  the  faculties  prior  to 


488  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

death.*  He  relapsed  into  unconsciousness,  and  gradually 
passed  away  without  a  contortion  of  countenance  or  the 
slightest  movement  of  a  limb.  *  *  *  His  family  and 
many  of  his  friends  were  in  the  room  where  he  lay,  and 
so  peacefully  did  life  leave  his  body,  that  some  five  min- 
utes had  elapsed  before  those  who  were  watching  his 
countenance  were  satisfied  that  his  spirit  had  fled.  Like 
a  babe  falling  into  a  gentle  slumber,  he  passed  away.  It 
was  a  frequent  remark  of  his  that  he  should  not  die. 
Those  who  stood  around  his  bedside  were  reminded  of 
it  by  President  Young — who  saw  his  beloved  and  faithful 
friend  and  fellow-laborer  breathe  his  last — quoting  the 
remark,  and  adding  that  Brother  Heber  was  not  dead,  he 
had  gone  to  sleep.  Gloom  and  death  were  not  there.  None 
experienced  those  undefinable  feelings  of  dread  which 
sometimes  prevail  on  such  occasions.  Sadness  there 
was  ;  but  it  was  not  mingled  with  doubt ;  it  was  for  the 
loss  of  the  society  of  the  loving  husband,  the  tender 
father,  the  steadfast  friend,  the  wise  counselor  and  the 
undaunted  leader.  Yet  this  grief  was  not  the  only  feel- 
ing. If  there  can  be  any  pleasure  in  contemplating  the 
separation  of  the  body  and  spirit  under  any  circum- 
stances, then  that  chamber  in  which  the  earthly  remains 
of  Heber  C.  Kimball  lay  this  morning  was  a  place  of 
joy.  It  was  a  scene  of  victory  and  triumph.  A  faithful, 
unflinching  servant  of  God,  one  who  had  passed  through 
the  most  severe  ordeals  with  unyielding  integrity,  had 
met  man's  great  enemy,  and  through  the  atonement  of 
the  Savior  and  the  previous  promises  which  he  had  given, 
had  come  off  conqueror.  What  a  host  of  faithful  ones 
have  awaited  his  arrival  in  the  spirit  world !  Recall  the 
names,  beginning  with  Joseph,  the  head  of  the  dispensa- 
tion, and  what  a  glorious  list  is  presented  to  the  mind ! 
With  what  ineffable  gladness  will  they  meet  and  welcome 
him  to  that  happy  land !  Will  it  not  be  home  to  him 
when  he  meets  those  bright  ones  with  whom  he  has 
labored  so  long  and  so  familiarly,  and  who  know  his 

*     His   last  words,  uttered  distinctly  the   evening  before  his  death,  were :  "Truth, 
eternal  Truth." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  489 

guileless  simplicity,  his  truthfulness,  his  unshrinking  faith, 
his  integrity  and  worth? 

"As  this  news  is  flashed  with  lightning  speed  from 
one  end  of  the  Territory  to  the  other,  profound  grief 
will  fill  every  heart.  The  love  of  the  Saints  for  Brother 
Heber  is  deep-rooted  and  universal.  A  great  people  will 
this  day  mourn  in  learning  of  his  departure,  and  how 
deep  will  be  the  sorrow  also  of  his  brethren  and  sisters 
in  foreign  lands !  Yet  it  is  not  for  him  we  should  mourn. 
He  is  ransomed  and  free.  We  yet  remain  in  thralldom. 
The  course  of  those  who  live  is  not  finished,  the  battle 
is  not  won.  The  supreme  wish  of  every  heart  who  wit- 
nessed his  departure  doubtless  was  that  their  end  might 
be  like  his." 

On  the  same  day  the  Mayor  of  the  City  issued  the 
following  : 

"To  THE  CITIZENS  OF  SALT  LAKE  CITY. — 

"As  a  token  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  our 
esteemed  friend  and  fellow-citizen,  the  late  HON.  HEBER 
C.  KIMBALL,  whose  demise  took  place  at  his  residence  in 
this  city,  at  10-40  this  a.  m.,  it  is  hereby  requested,  that 
all  unite  throughout  the  city  in  closing  their  respective 
houses  of  business  on  Wednesday  the  24th  inst,  being 
the  day  appointed  for  the  funeral  obsequies  of  deceased. 

"DANIEL  H.  WELLS,  Mayor. 
"  MAYOR'S  OFFICE,  SALT  LAKE  CITY, 
"June  22d,    1868." 

The  following  telegrams,  sent  from  different  parts 
of  the  Territory,  will  show  how  universal  was  the  respect 
paid  to  the  honored  dead : 

"  LOGAN,  22nd. 
"PRESIDENT  B.  YOUNG: 

"We  feel  very  sorry,  but  not  without  hope,  respect- 
ing President  Kimball's  death. 

"PETER  MAUGHAN." 


49O  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBAL.L. 

"SPRINGTOWN,    23d. 

"To  THE  BISHOPS  OF  SANPETE  Co. : 

"A  great  and  worthy  man  in  Israel  is  fallen  —  Presi- 
dent Heber  C.  Kimball  —  not  by  transgression,  but  by 
the  providence  of  God.  The  distance  is  too  great  for 
us  to  attend  his  funeral  to-morrow.  This,  therefore,  is 
to  request  your  congregations,  to  meet  to-morrow  at 
two  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  offer  up  their  prayers  and  condo- 
lence in  behalf  of  the  bereaved  family,  as  a  tribute  of 
respect  to  the  memory  of  the  illustrious  dead,  thereby 
respecting  ourselves.  "  ORSON  HYDE." 

"ST.  GEORGE,  24th. 
"  PRESIDENT  B.  YOUNG: 

"The  Saints  of  the  south,  assembled  in  the  St  George 
Bowery,  mingle  their  tears  with  yours  in  the  funeral 
obsequies  of  our  lamented  brother,  President  Heber  C. 
Kimball.  With  his  bereaved  family  we  deeply  sympa- 
thize; with  all  Israel  we  mourn  his  loss,  and  with  him  we 
rejoice  that  he  has  entered  into  his  glory. 

"ERASTUS  SNOW." 

Here  is  the  City's  tribute  to  his  memory: 

"At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  City  Council  of  this 
city,  on  Tuesday  evening  last,  the  23rd  inst,  his  Honor 
the  Mayor,  announced  the  death  of  the  Honorable 
Heber  C.  Kimball,  and,  on  his  suggestion,  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  draft  resolutions  expressive  of  the  feel- 
ing of  the  council  on  the  occasion. 

"Councilor  Burton,  on  behalf  of  the  committee,  pre- 
sented the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  which 
were  read  and  unanimously  adopted: 

"  Whereas,  It  has  pleased  the  Almighty,  in  the  dispen- 
sations of  His  Providence,  to  remove  from  our  midst  by 
the  hand  of  death  our  esteemed  fellow  citizen  and  much 
beloved  President,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  who,  with  unwav- 
ering integrity  and  untiring  zeal,  has  ever  been  a  faithful 
laborer  in  the  cause  of  truth  and  an  earnest  advocate  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  of  every  principle  calcu- 
lated to  ennoble  and  elevate  humanity ;  therefore,  be  it 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  49! 

» 

"Resolved,  That  while  we  recognize  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  in  all  things,  we  deeply  feel  the  loss  which  the 
community  has  sustained  in  his  death,  and  in  common 
with  the  citizens  of  this  city  and  Territory,  and  the 
Latter-day  Saints  throughout  the  world,  we  most  sin- 
cerely sympathize  with  his  family  and  friends  in  this  their 
sad  bereavement. 

"The  Council  adjourned  without  the  transaction  of 
further  business. 

"  DANIEL  H.  WELLS,  Mayor. 
''ROBERT  CAMPBELL,  Recorder. 
"Council  Chamber, 

"June  23rd,  1868." 

A  full  account  of  the  funeral  of  President  Kimball 
is  reserved  for  the  next  and  final  chapter. 


CHAPTER    LXVIII. 

OBSEQUIES    OF     PRESIDENT    KIMBALL TRIBUTES    AND    TESTI- 
MONIES   OF    HIS  BROTHER    APOSTLES "HE  WAS  A    MAN 

OF    AS  MUCH  INTEGRITY  AS  ANY  MAN  WHO  EVER  LIVED" 

EARTH    RETURNS    TO    EARTH    AND    THE    SPIRIT    UNTO 

GOD  WHO  GAVE  IT. 

THE  day  set  for  the  funeral  of  President  Kimball 
was  Wednesday,  the  24th  of  June.  The  place,  the  large 
Tabernacle,  Salt  Lake  City.  His  own  desire,  expressed 
many  times  before  his  death,  was  that  it  should  be  held 
at  his  private  residence,  and  with  as  little  display  as  pos- 
sible ;  but  out  of  deference  to  public  sentiment,  and  to 
accommodate  the  great  multitude  of  his  friends  who 


492  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

desired  to  be  present,  it  was  found  necessary  to  hold  the 
services  in  the  Tabernacle. 

Throughout  the  city  on  that  day,  all  ordinary  busi- 
ness was  suspended,  and  draped  flags,  at  half  mast, 
swung  to  the  breeze  from  the  tops  of  public  and  private 
buildings.  It  was  a  general  time  of  mourning.  The 
very  heavens  seemed  weeping  in  unison  with  the  earth. 
The  skies  were  hung  with  black  clouds,  the  solemn  thun- 
ders roared,  the  wind  sighed  and  moaned,  and  the  rain 
fell  heavily. 

Long  before  the  hour  for  the  commencement  of  the 
services,  thousands  were  on  their  way  to  the  Tabernacle 
to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the 
mighty  dead ;  one  whom  all  Israel  revered  and  mourned 
as  a  father  and  a  friend.  Notwithstanding  the  pouring 
rain,  fully  eight  thousand  people  assembled  within  the 
vast  auditorium.  Many  of  the  settlements  and  counties 
throughout  the  Territory  were  represented  by  their  lead- 
ing men. 

While  the  masses  congregated  at  the  Tabernacle, 
Presidents  Brigham  Young  and  Daniel  H.  Wells,  with 
the  Apostles  and  many  others,  representing  general 
and  local  authorities  in  the  Priesthood,  repaired  to  the 
late  residence  of  President  Kimball,  where  the  funeral 
procession  formed  under  the  personal  supervision  of 
President  Young. 

The  procession  moved  from  the  residence  at  2 
o'clock  p.  m.,  in  the  following  order: 

ist.  Croxall's  brass  band,  consisting  of  Messrs.  M. 
Croxall,  C.  Evans,  R.  Golightly,  T.  Mclntyre,  W.  D. 
Williams,  J.  Croxall,  T.  Croxall,  T.  Griggs,  J.  Cartwright, 
J.  Currie,  W.  Foster,  C.  Sansom,  B.  Eardley,  H.  Sadler, 
J.  Wakeham,  W.  Adkins,  G.  Wareing,  D.  Evans,  H. 
Sperry  and  W.  Lloyd. 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  493 

2nd.  Of  the  High  Council,  Elders  W.  Eddington,  J. 
L.  Blythe,  C  V.  Spencer,  W.  H.  Folsom,  T.  E.  Jeremy, 
J.  Squires,  P.  Nebeker  and  G.  W.  Thatcher. 

3rd.  Of  the  Presidency  of  the  Salt  Lake  Stake  of 
Zion,  Elders  D.  Spencer  and  G.  B.  Wallace. 

4th.  Of  the  Presidency  of  the  Seventies,  Elders 
Joseph  Young,  L.  W.  Hancock,  A.  P.  Rockwood,  H.  S. 
Eldredge  and  J.  Van  Cott. 

5th.  The  Presidency  of  the  High  Priests,  Elders 
John  Young,  S.  W.  Richards  and  E.  D.  Woolley. 

6th.  Presiding  Bishop  E.  Hunter  and  his  Coun- 
selors, L.  W.  Hardy  and  J.  C.  Little. 

7th.  Of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  Elders  Orson  Pratt, 
John  Taylor,  Wilford  Woodruff,  Geo.  A.  Smith,  Ezra  T. 
Benson,  Lorenzo  Snow,  Geo.  Q.  Cannon  and  Joseph  F. 
Smith. 

8th.  President  Brigham  Young  and  Counselor 
Daniel  H.  Wells. 

9th.  The  corpse,  in  a  neat  coffin  wrapped  in  black 
broadcloth  and  deeply  fringed  with  white  cashmere  and 
black  lace,  borne  by  twelve  pall-bearers,  namely,  Elders 
R.  T.  Burton,  T.  McKean,  G.  W.  Grant,  L.  S.  Hills,  B. 
Y.  Hampton,  W.  Calder,  H.  Heath,  A.  Dewey,  H.  S. 
Beatie,  H.  P.  Richards,  H.  Dinwoodey,  and  John  T. 
Caine. 

Immediately  following  the  remains  walked  the  three 
eldest  sons  of  President  Kimball,  namely,  William  H., 
Heber  P.,  and  David  P.,  succeeded  by  his  wives,  the 
elder  sons  and  daughters,  the  younger  sons  and 
daughters,  and  many  other  relatives  in  the  rear.  The 
families  of  Presidents  Young  and  Wells  in  carriages, 
and  a  number  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  on  foot, 
terminated  the  procession. 

To  the  solemn  strains  of  the  "Dead  March  in  Saul," 


494  LIFE     OF     HEBER     c-     KIMBALL. 

from  Captain  Croxall's  band,  the  cortege,  passing  down 
East,  North  and  West  Temple  Streets,  successively,  to 
the  west  gate  of  Temple  Block,  entered  the  Tabernacle 
at  door  No.  32,  north  side,  and  occupied  reserved  seats 
in  front  of  the  stand.  The  casket  with  the  remains  was 
deposited  on  a  draped  bier  raised  from  the  middle  aisle. 
Seven  elegant  vases  of  roses  and  other  beautiful  flowers 
were  placed  upon  the  coffin.  During  the  services  a  bird 
flew  into  the  building  and,  alighting  on  the  coffin, 
remained  for  several  minutes. 

In  consonance  with  the  solemnity  of  the  scene,  the 
interior  of  the  Tabernacle  was  draped  in  mourning. 

The  assemblage  was  called  to  order  by  President 
Brigham  Young. 

The  choir  then  sang  the  following  hymn,  composed 
for  the  occasion  by  Sister  Eliza  R.  Snow: 

Be  cheer' d,  O  Zion — cease  to  weep  : 
Heber  we  deeply  loved  : 

He  is  not  dead — he  does  not  sleep- 
He  lives  with  those  above. 

His  flesh  was  weary ;  let  it  rest 

Entombed  in  mother  Earth, 
Till  Jesus  comes — when  all  the  bless' d, 

To  life  will  be  brought  forth. 

His  mighty  spirit,  pure  and  free 

From  every  bond  of  Earth, 
In  realms  of  immortality, 

Is  crowned  with  spotless  worth. 

He  lives  for  Zion  : — he  has  gone 

To  plead  her  righteous  cause, 
Before  the  High  and  Holy  One — 

Let  all  the  Saints  rejoice. 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  495 

Let  wives  and  children  humbly  kiss 

The  deep-afflicting  rod : 
A  father  to  the  fatherless, 

God  is  the  widow's  God. 

Elder  George  Q.  Cannon  offered  the  opening  prayer. 

The  choir  sang  "Farewell  all  earthly  honors,"  with 
the  chorus  "There  is  sweet  rest  in  heaven,"  and  remarks 
were  then  made  as  follows,  by  the  speakers  named  : 

ELDER    JOHN    TAYLOR. 

"Were  I  to  give  way  to  my  feelings  at  the  present 
time  I  should  not  be  able  to  address  this  congregation. 
I  feel  as,  I  suppose,  most  of  you  feel — sympathy  with 
the  family  of  the  deceased  who  now  lies  before  us. 
When  I  speak  of  this  as  being  my  feeling,  I  am  aware 
that  I  express  the  feeling  of  the  generality  of  this 
people.  In  this  bereavement  that  has  afflicted  us,  we  all 
participate.  A  wave  of  sorrow  has  rolled  throughout 
the  Territory,  and  feelings  of  sympathy  and  sorrow  gush 
up  from  the  fountains  of  every  heart.  We  have  met  at 
this  time  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  no  ordinary 
personage,  but  to  a  good  man  who  was  called  and  chosen, 
and  faithful ;  who  has  spent  a  lifetime  in  the  cause  of 
God,  in  the  establishment  of  the  principles  of  truth  and 
in  trying  to  upbuild  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God 
on  the  earth ;  who  has  endeared  himself  by  his  acts  of 
kindness,  affection,  integrity,  truthfulness  and  probity  to 
the  hearts  of  thousands  of  Latter-day  Saints,  who  feel  to 
mourn  at  this  time  with  no  ordinary  sorrow. 

"That  he  is  esteemed  and  venerated  by  this  people 
as  a  friend,  a  counselor  and  a  father,  this  immense  con- 
gregation, who  have  met  on  this  inauspicious  occasion, 
is  abundant  testimony  and  proof,  if  any  is  wanting.  But 
his  life,  his  acts,  his  services,  his  self-abnegation,  his 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  truth,  his  perseverance  in  the 
ways  of  righteousness  for  so  many  years  have  left  a 
testimony  in  the  minds,  feelings  and  hearts  of  all  who 
feel  to  mourn  his  departure  from  our  midst.  But  we 


496  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

meet  not  at  the  present  time  particularly  to  eulogize  the 
acts  of  Brother  Kimball,  who  is  one  of  the  First  Presi- 
dency, and  who  stands,  or  who  has  stood  as  one  of  the 
three  prominent  men  that  live  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
at  the  present  time. 

"We  do  not  mourn  over  him  as  over  an  individual 
in  a  private  capacity;  neither,  when  we  reflect  on  the 
circumstances  with  which  we  are  surrounded,  and  the 
gospel  we  believe  in,  do  we  mourn  that  he  lies  there  as 
he  is.  For  although  to  us  he  is  absent  and  lifeless  and 
inanimate,  yet  his  spirit  soars  above  clothed  upon  with 
immortality  and  eternal  life.  And  as  he  has  been  in 
possesion  of  the  principles  of  eternal  truth,  by  and  bye, 
when  the  time  shall  roll  around,  that  gospel  and  the 
principles  of  truth  that  he  has  so  valiantly  proclaimed 
for  so  many  years,  will  resurrect  that  inanimate  clay, 
and  He  who,  on  the  earth  proclaimed  "I  am  the 
resurrection  and  the  life,"  will  cause  him  again  to  be 
resuscitated,  reanimated,  revivified  and  glorified,  and  he 
will  rejoice  among  the  Saints  of  God  worlds  without  end. 

"It  is  not  then  an  ordinary  occasion  upon  which  we 
have  met  at  the  present  time.  It  is  not  to  talk  particu- 
larly about  our  individual  feelings  and  bereavement, 
although  they  are  keen,  poignant  and  afflictive  ;  but  we 
meet  at  the  present  time  to  perform  a  ceremony  and  to 
pay  our  last  respects  to  the  departed  great  one  who  lies 
before  us.  We  do  not  mourn  as  those  who  have  no 
hope  ;  we  do  not  sympathise  with  any  foolish  sympathy. 
We  believe  in  those  principles,  that  he,  for  so  many 
years,  has  so  strenuously  advocated,  and  believing  in 
them,  we  know  that  he  has  simply  passed  from  one  state 
of  existence  to  another.  It  is  customary  for  men  to  say 
"how  have  the  great  fallen!"  But  he  has  not  fallen.  It 
is  true  that  he  has  gone  to  sleep  for  a  little  while.  He 
sleeps  in  peace.  He  is  resting  from  his  labors  and  is  no 
more  beset  with  those  afflictions  with  which  human 
nature  always  has  to  contend:  he  has  passed  from  this 
stage  of  action,  he  has  got  through  with  the  toils,  per- 
plexities, cares  and  anxieties  in  regard  to  himself,  his 
family,  and  in  regard  to  the  Church  with  which  he  was 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  497 

associated;  and  in  regard  to  all  sublunary  things,  and 
while  mortals  mourn  "a  man  is  dead,"  the  angels  pro- 
claim "a  child  is  born." 

"We  believe  in  another  state  of  existence  besides 
this ;  and  it  is  not  only  a  belief,  but  it  is  a  fixed  fact,  and 
hence  for  a  man  of  God  to  bid  adieu  to  the  things  of  this 
world  is  a  matter  of  comparatively  very  small  importance. 
When  a  man  has  fought  the  good  fight;  when  he  has 
finished  his  course ;  when  he  has  been  faithful,  lived  his 
religion  and  died  as  a  man  of  God,  what  is  there  to 
mourn  for?  Why  should  we  indeed  be  sorrowful? 
There  is  a  church  here  on  earth ;  there  is  a  church  also  in 
the  heavens.  He  has  migrated  from  one,  and  has  passed 
into  the  other. 

"We  have  had  leave  us  before,  Joseph,  Hyrum,  David 
Patten,  Willard,  Jedediah,  and  a  mighty  host  of  good, 
virtuous,  pure,  holy  and  honorable  men.  Some  have 
died,  as  it  were,  naturally ;  others  have  been  violently 
put  to  death.  But  no  matter,  they  are  each  of  them 
moving  in  his  own  sphere.  Brother  Kimball  has  left  us 
for  a  short  time  that  he  may  unite  with  them.  And 
whilst  we  are  engaged  carrying  on  the  work  of  God,  and 
advancing  and  maintaining  those  principles  which  he  so 
diligently  propagated  and  maintained  while  he  was  on  the 
earth,  he  is  gone  to  officiate  in  the  heavens  with  Jesus, 
with  Joseph  and  others  for  us.  We  are  seeking  to  carry 
out  his  will,  the  will  of  our  President  and  the  will  of  our 
Heavenly  Father,  that  we  may  be  found  fit  to  associate 
with  the  just  who  are  made  perfect,  and  be  prepared  to 
join  with  the  Church  triumphant  in  the  heavens.  It  is 
this  that  our  religion  points  us  to  all  the  time. 

"We  embraced  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  he 
who  now  lies  before  us  was  one  of  the  first  to  proclaim 
it  to  thousands  that  are  here.  And  what  did  that  teach 
us?  To  repent  of  our  sins,  and,  having  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of 
our  sins,  to  have  hands  laid  upon  us  for  the  reception  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  gather  together  to  Zion  that  we 
might  be  instructed  in  the  ways  of  life ;  that  we  might 
know  how  to  save  ourselves — how  to  save  the  living  and 

32 


498  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

how  to  redeem  the  dead ;  that  we  might  not  only  pos- 
sess a  hope  that  blooms  with  immortality  and  eternal 
life ;  but  that  we  might  have  a  certainty,  an  evidence,  a 
confidence  that  was  beyond  doubt  or  peradventure,  that 
we  were  preparing  ourselves  for  a  celestial  inheritance  in 
the  kingdom  of  our  God.  And  when  a  man  goes  to 
sleep  as  Brother  Kimball  has  done,  no  matter  how,  he  lays 
aside  the  cares  of  this  world ;  the  weary  wheels  of  life 
stand  still,  the  pulse  ceases  to  beat,  the  body  becomes 
cold,  lifeless  and  inanimate;  yet  at  the  same  time  the 
spirit  still  exists,  has  gone  to  join  those  who  have  lived 
before ;  who  now  live  and  will  live  for  evermore.  He 
has  trod  the  path  that  we  have  all  to  follow,  for  it  is 
appointed  to  man  once  to  die,  and  after  that,  we  are  told, 
the  judgment.  We  have  all  to  pass  through  the  dark  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  and  as  I  said  before,  it  matters 
little  which  way  this  occurs ;  but  it  does  matter  a  great 
deal  to  us  whether  we  are  prepared  to  meet  it  or  not ; 
whether  we  have  lived  the  life  of  the  righteous ;  whether 
we  have  honored  our  profession ;  whether  we  have  been 
faithful  to  our  trust;  whether  we  are  prepared  to  asso- 
ciate with  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  and 
whether  when  He,  who  has  said  "I  am  the  resurrection 
and  the  life"  shall  sound  the  trump  we  shall  be  pre- 
pared to  come  forth  in  the  morning  of  the  first  resur- 
rection. 

u  Joseph  Smith  stands  at  the  head  of  this  dispen- 
sation. His  brother  Hyrum  Smith  was  associated  with 
him.  They  were  both  assassinated.  No  matter;  they  are 
gone.  Brother  Heber  is  now  gone,  and  whilst  we  mourn 
the  loss  they  rejoice  at  meeting  one  with  whom  they  were 
associated  before ;  for  he  was  the  friend  of  Joseph  and 
Hyrum  Smith,  and  he  was  the  friend  of  God,  and  God 
is  his  friend,  and  they  are  his  friends.  And  as  they 
associated  together  in  time  so  they  will  in  eternity.  It 
behooves  us  then  not  to  think  so  much  about  dying,  but 
about  our  living,  and  to  live  in  such  a  way  that  when  we 
shall  fall  asleep,  no  matter  when,  or  how  it  may  transpire, 
that  our  hearts  may  be  pure  before  God.  When  I  look 
upon  a  man  like  Brother  Kimball,  I  feel  like  saying  let  my 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  499 

last  end  be  like  his.  Let  my  life  be  as  spotless,  as  holy 
and  as  pure,  that  I  may  stand  accepted  before  God  and 
the  holy  angels.  Our  ambition  ought  to  be  to  live  our 
religion,  to  keep  the  commandments  of  God,  to  obey 
the  counsel  that  those  lips  now  silent  and  cold  have  so 
often  given  to  us ;  to  honor  our  calling  and  profession, 
that  we  may  be  prepared  to  inherit  eternal  lives  in  the 
celestial  kingdom  of  our  God.  May  God  help  us  to  do 
so,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  Amen. 


ELDER  GEORCzE  A.    SMITH. 

"The  occasion  which  has  called  us  together  is  truly 
one  of  mourning;  but  our  mourning  .is  not  as  the 
mourning  of  those  who  have  no  hope.  Our  father,  our 
brother,  our  President,  has  fallen  asleep.  He  has  fallen 
asleep  according  to  the  promise  that  those  who  die  unto 
the  Lord  should  not  die,  but  should  fall  asleep.  Still, 
the  circumstances  with  which  we  are  surrounded  cause 
us  to  feel  keenly,  deeply  this  bereavement  of  his  com- 
pany, of  his  counsel,  of  his  support,  of  his  society,  and 
the  benefit  of  that  wisdom  which  ever  flowed  from  his 
lips.  Short  is  the  journey  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave, 
and  all  of  us  are  marching  rapidly  in  that  direction  ;  and 
the  present  occasion  is  certainly  calculated  to  inspire  in 
our  minds  a  desire  that  in  all  our  lives  and  actions  we 
may  be  prepared  for  that  coming  event,  that  we  may  be 
prepared  to  rest  in  peace,  and  in  the  morning  of  the 
first  resurrection  to  inherit  eternal  life  and  celestial 
exaltation.  The  association  which  we  have  had  with 
President  Kimball  has  been  of  long  standing.  He 
entered  the  church  early  after  its  organization.  In  1832, 
with  President  Brigham  Young,  he  visited  Kirtland,  and 
made  himself  personally  acquainted  with  the  Prophet 
Joseph,  whose  bosom  friend  he  was  from  the  time  of 
their  first  acquaintance  until  the  day  of  his  death.  Pres- 
ident Kimball  was  a  man  that  seemed  embarrassed  when 
called  upon  to  speak  in  public  in  the  early  part  of  his 
ministry.  My  first  acquaintance  with  him  was  in  1833, 


5OO  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

when  in  company  with  President  Young  he  moved  his 
family  to  Kirtland.  The  Saints  were  then  building  the 
Kirtland  Temple.  He  had  but  little  means,  but  he  sub- 
scribed two  hundred  dollars  and  paid  over  the  money. 
Efforts  were  being  made  to  build  another  house,  for 
school  and  other  purposes,  and  he  subscribed  one  hun- 
dred dollars  for  that  also,  to  buy  the  nails  and  glass. 
That  was  the  first  public  meeting  at  which  I  ever  saw 
Heber  C.  Kimball.  When  he  was  chosen  one  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  and  they  were  called  into  the  stand  to 
bear  their  first  testimony  as  Apostles  to  the  Saints,  there 
was  an  embarrassment  and  a  timidity  about  his  appear- 
ance that  was  truly  humble.  And  when  he  went  abroad 
to  preach,  many  felt  almost  afraid  to  have  Brother  Kim- 
ball  preach  because  he  had  not  as  great  a  flow  of  lan- 
guage as  some  others.  But  it  turned  out,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  that  some  of  those  who  were  the  most  eloquent 
seemed  to  be  those  who  fell  off  by  the  wayside.  It  was 
a  dark  hour  around  the  Prophet  in  Kirtland,  many  hav- 
ing apostatized,  and  some  of  them  prominent  Elders, 
when  Brother  Kimball  and  some  others  were  called  upon 
to  take  a  mission  to  England.  He  went  abroad  when 
some  of  the  first  Elders  were  covered  with  darkness, 
and  apostasy  ran  rampant  through  the  Church.  He  started 
almost  penniless,  made  the  trip  across  the  ocean,  intro- 
duced the  gospel  to  England,  and  laid  the  foundation  for 
the  great  work  that  has  since  been  accomplished  there, 
accompanied  by  Orson  Hyde,  Willard  Richards  and 
Joseph  Fielding.  Brothers  Kimball  and  Hyde  remained 
in  England  about  one  year,  and  in  that  time  1,500  were 
baptized  there.  It  was  strange,  the  power  and  influence 
which  he  had  over  persons  whom  he  had  never  before 
seen.  On  one  occasion  he  went  out  five  days  to  some 
town  which  he  had  never  visited  before,  and  among 
people  whom  he  had  never  seen  and  who  had  never 
seen  him,  yet  in  those  five  days  he  baptized  eighty- 
three  persons.  It  seemed  that  there  were  a  power 
and  influence  with  him  beyond  that  which  almost  any 
other  Elder  possessed.  He  returned  home  just  in 
time  to  find  the  Saints  in  their  troubles  in  Missouri.  He 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  50! 

had  hardly  got  home  until  the  clouds  of  monocracy 
intensified  by  apostasy  again  gathered  around  the 
Prophet.  In  a  short  time  after,  Joseph  was  in  prison 
and  his  counselors  were  in  prison  and  all  were  closely 
guarded. 

"  During  this  time  President  Kimball  visited  the 
prison,  the  Judges  and  the  governor,  and  exerted  him- 
self to  relieve  the  prisoners ;  and  he  had  a  peculiar 
influence  with  him,  so  that  he  could  pass  among  our 
enemies  unharmed,  when  others  were  in  danger. 

"When  the  Saints  were  driven  from  Missouri,,  as 
soon  as  their  feet  were  planted  in  Nauvoo,  he  built  with 
his  own  hands  a  log  cabin  for  his  family,  and  started 
again  to  renew  his  mission  to  Great  Britain,  with  Presi- 
dent Young  and  others  of  his  quorum.  It  is  not  my 
intention  to  trace  his  history,  but  I  have  culled  out  these 
few  circumstances  to  show  you  his  integrity,  his  faithful- 
ness, and  his  untiring  labors  to  benefit  mankind. 

"We  are  called  now  to  mourn;  but  we  do  not 
mourn  as  those  who  have  no  hope.  Brother  Kimball 
was  a  man  who  was  the  son  of  nature.  The  literature, 
he  loved  was  the  word  of  God.  He  was  not  a  man  to 
read  novels.  He  studied  the  revelations  of  Jesus.  His 
heart  was  filled  with  benevolence.  His  soul  was  filled 
with  love  ;  and  he  was  always  ready  to  give  counsel  to 
the  weakest  child  that  came  in  his  way.  Thousands  and 
thousands  will  remember  him  with  pleasure. 

"As  we  follow  him  to  his  last  resting  place,  we  must 
recollect  that  those  men  who  stood  side  by  side  with 
Joseph  Smith  the  Prophet,  who  bore  with  him  his  bur- 
dens, and  shared  his  troubles ;  who  stood  shoulder  to 
shoulder  with  President  Young  while  he  faced  the  storm 
of  apostasy,  mob  power  and  organized  priestcraft,  are 
rapidly  passing  away.  Brother  Kimball  was  foremost 
among  them.  Joseph  loved  him,  and  truly  it  may  be 
said  that  Brother  Kimball  was  a  Herald  of  Grace.  May 
we  all  so  live  that  with  our  brother  we  may  inherit  the 
blessings  of  celestial  grace,  is  my  prayer  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  Amen. 


5O2  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KTMBALL. 

ELDER    GEORGE    Q.    CANNON. 

"The  scene  in  which  we  are  participating  this  day 
reminds  us  more  strongly  than  any  language  can  do,  how 
frail  is  mortal  existence,  and  how  slight  a  tenure  we  all 
have  upon  this  life.  Two  weeks  ago,  to-day,  he,  whose 
lifeless  remains  we  now  surround,  was  moving  among  us 
in  this  Tabernacle ;  if  not  in  the  enjoyment  of  perfect 
health,  yet  in  the  enjoyment  of  such  a  degree  of  health 
as  not  to  inspire  us  with  any  apprehensions  as  to  his  life. 
If  we  had  been  asked,  How  long  is  Brother  Heber 
likely  to  live?  the  probable  answer  would  have  been, 
he  is  as  likely  to  live  ten  or  twenty  years  as  any  other 
period.  But  since  then,  two  weeks,  two  brief,  short 
weeks,  have  gone,  and  we  have  assembled  ourselves 
together  to  pay  our  last  respects  to  his  memory.  It 
seemed  to  me  when  I  entered  the  building,  and  sat  down 
and  looked  upon  the  congregation,  that  the  greatest  elo- 
quence I  could  indulge  in  would  be  silence.  Yet  it  is 
due  to  him  that  our  voices  should  be  heard  in  instruction 
to  those  who  remain,  and  in  testimony  of  his  great 
worth ;  and  if  possible  to  spread  before  them,  the  great 
and  glorious  example  which  he  has  set  for  us,  and  which 
if  we  will  but  emulate  and  follow,  will  result  in  the  attain- 
ment of  the  most  glorious  blessings  of  which  mortal 
heart  can  conceive. 

"I  have  known  Brother  Heber  from  my  childhood. 
To  me  he  has  been  a  father.  I  never  was  with  him  but 
what  he  had  good  counsel  to  give  me.  And  when  I 
speak  this  I  speak  what  every  one  who  was  acquainted 
with  him  might  say.  He  was  full  of  counsel,  full  of 
instruction,  and  he  was  always  pointed  in  conveying  his 
counsel  in  plainness  to  those  to  whom  he  imparted  it. 

"Have  we  any  cause,  in  reality,  to  mourn  to-day? 
Have  we  any  cause  for  grief  and  sorrow?  When  I 
stood  by  his  bedside  and  saw  his  spirit  take  its  departure 
there  was  no  death  there ;  there  was  no  gloom.  I  had 
seen  but  two  persons  die  before,  and  they  died  by  vio- 
lence ;  but  when  I  watched  Brother  Heber  I  asked 
myself,  Is  this  death?  Is  this  that  which  men  represent 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  503 

as  a  monster,  and  from  which  they  shrink  with  affright? 
It  seemed  to  me  that  Brother  Heber  was  not  dead,  but 
that  he  had  merely  gone  to  sleep.  He  passed  away  as 
quietly  and  as  gently  as  an  infant  falling  asleep  on  its 
mother's  lap  ;  not  a  movement  of  a  limb  ;  not  a  contortion 
of  his  countenance  ;  and  scarcely  a  sigh.  The  words  of 
Jesus,  through  Joseph,  were  forcibly  brought  to  my  mind, 
— "they  that  die  in  me,  their  death  shall  be  sweet  unto 
them."  It  was  sweet  with  him.  There  was  nothing 
repulsive,  nothing  dreadful  or  terrible  in  it,  but  on  the 
contrary  it  was  calm,  peaceful  and  sweet.  There  were 
heavenly  influences  there,  as  though  angels  were  there, 
and  no  doubt  they  were,  prepared  to  escort  him  hence 
to  the  society  of  those  whom  he  loved  and  who  loved 
him  dearly.  I  thought  of  the  joy  there  would  be  in  the 
spirit  land,  when  Joseph,  and  Hyrum,  and  David,  and 
Willard,  and  Jedediah,  and  Parley  would  welcome  him 
to  their  midst,  and  the  thousands  of  others  who  have 
gone  before,  and  like  them  have  been  faithful.  What  a 
welcome  to  their  midst  will  Brother  Heber  receive !  to 
labor  and  toil  with  them  in  the  spirit  world  in  the  great 
work  in  which  we  are  engaged. 

'  Tt  is  now  twenty-four  years  lacking  three  days,  since 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  were  taken  away  from  us.  Twenty- 
four  years  so  fruitful  in  labor,  so  abundant  in  toil,  so  rich 
in  experience  !  During  that  period  Brother  Heber  has 
never  wavered,  never  trembled.  It  may  be  said  of  him 
with  as  much  truthfulness  to-day,  as  was  said  by  Brother 
Brigham  on  one  occasion  in  Nauvoo,  'his  knees  never 
trembled,  his  hands  never  shook.'  He  has  been  faith- 
ful to  God ;  he  has  been  true  to  his  brethren  ;  he  has 
kept  his  covenants ;  he  has  died  in  the  triumphs  of  the 
faith;  and  as  the  Savior  has  said,  'that  which  is  governed 
by  law  is  preserved  by  law  and  perfected  and  sanctified 
by  the  same ;'  so  will  it  be  with  him.  He  has  gone  to  the 
paradise  of  God,  there  to  await  the  time  when  this  cor- 
ruption shall  put  on  incorruption,  when  this  mortality 
shall  put  on  immortality. 

"My  brethren  and  sisters,  here  is  an  incentive  to  us 
to  be  faithful.  Contrast  the  death  of  this  man  with  the 


504  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KTMBALL. 

death  of  the  apostate — the  traitor.  Contrast  the  future 
—as  it  is  revealed  to  us  in  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ 
— of  this  man,  with  the  future  of  the  renegade  from  the 
truth,  and  the  wicked  and  those  who  love  not  God  and 
who  keep  not  His  commandments.  Are  there  any  incen- 
tives presented  to  us  this  day  to  be  faithful?  They  are 
too  numerous  for  me  to  dwell  upon  or  mention.  There 
is  every  reason  why  we  should  be  faithful.  It  is  easier 
to  keep  the  commandments  of  God  than  it  is  to  break 
them.  It  is  easier  to  walk  in  the  path  of  righteousness 
than  it  is  to  deviate  from  it.  It  is  easier  and  more 
pleasant  to  love  God  than  it  is  to  break  His  command- 
ments. 

"Then  let  us  be  true  to  God.  Let  us  walk  each 
day  so  that  we  may  be  worthy,  when  our  life  is  ended,  to 
associate  with  him  whose  spirit  inhabited  this  tabernacle 
that  lies  here,  and  with  others  who  have  gone  before, 
and  with  those  who  remain,  that  we  may  dwell  together 
with  them  eternally  in  the  heavens ;  which  may  God 
grant,  for  Christ's  sake,  Amen." 


PRESIDENT    D.    H.    WELLS. 

"It  is  a  great  calamity  to  humanity  when  a  great 
and  good  man  falls.  Earth  needs  their  services.  Good 
men  are  too  scarce.  The  loss  is  not  so  much  to  them  as 
it  is  to  us  who  remain — as  it  is  to  humanity  who  are  still 
left  to  wield  an  influence  against  the  wickedness  which  is 
on  the  earth,  and  to  sustain  holy  and  righteous  principles 
which  the  Lord  has  revealed  from  the  heavens  for  the 
guidance  of  man.  Herein  is  the  loss  which  we  feel 
when  such  men  as  Bro.  Kimball  are  taken  away,  He  has 
made  his  mark.  He  has  earned  imperishable  fame,  and 
he  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  the  good,  the  true  and  the 
faithful — in  the  hearts  of  the  just ;  and  he  will  be  remem- 
bered by  the  wicked,  for  he  has  often  invaded  the  realms 
of  darkness  and  sustained  holy  and  righteous  principles 
with  all  his  might,  power  and  influence,  all  the  days  of 
his  life.  It  is  true,  for  him  we  need  not  mourn,  because 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  505 

he  has  passed  to  that  home  where  Satan  has  no  power. 
He  has  secured  to  himself  a  crown  of  eternal  glory  and 
righteousness  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of  our  God.  Not 
that  he  will  come  immediately  unto  this  exaltation.  The 
Savior  of  the  world,  himself,  did  not  enter  into  His  glory 
on  the  dissolution  of  His  spirit  and  body  ;  He  went  first 
to  minister  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  being  clothed  with  the 
holy  Priesthood.  So  with  our  brother  and  beloved  friend, 
for  he  is  still  our  friend,  and,  as  has  been  remarked,  he 
was  the  friend  of  God  and  of  all  good  men.  He  is  not 
lost.  He  has  only  gone  to  perform  another  portion  of 
the  mission  which  he  has  been  engaged  in  all  his  life,  to 
labor  in  another  sphere  for  the  good  of  mankind,  for  the 
welfare  of  the  souls  of  men.  But  he  has  laid  for  himself 
a  foundation  that  is  imperishable,  on  which  a  superstruc- 
ture of  glory  and  exaltation  will  grow  and  increase 
throughout  all  eternity. 

"  I  do  not  stand  here  to  eulogize  our  friend  and 
brother  to-day,  but  to  satisfy  my  own  feelings  and  pay  a 
tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory,  for  I  loved  him  and  he 
loved  me,  and  he  loved  this  people.  He  has  friends 
also  where  he  is  gone.  Who  can  answer  the  question 
whether  they  are  more  numerous  than  those  who  have 
assembled  together  to-day  and  those  throughout  this 
Territory?  Who  can  say  that  they  are  not  more  numer- 
ous on  yonder  shore?  Yet  it  matters  not.  Those  who 
are  faithful  will  yet  be  gathered  with  him  and  others,  and 
come  with  him  to  a  celestial  glory,  and  with  him  dwell 
where  there  is  no  sorrow  nor  affliction.  He  rests  from 
his  labor,  from  the  toil  which  surrounded  him  on  the 
earth.  This  is,  to-day,  a  source  of  consolation  to  his 
family  and  friends,  to  those  who  were  intimately  con- 
nected with  him.  They  may  be  assured  that  he  rests  in 
peace.  Let  his  example  be  followed ;  let  his  teachings 
be  remembered ;  let  us  all  live  so  that  we  may  have  a 
reasonable  hope  of  meeting  with  him  and  being  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  a  never  ending  future. 

"  May  God  help  us  to  be  faithful  unto  the  end,  as  he 
has  been ;  to  fight  the  good  fight  and  keep  the  faith,  that 
at  last,  with  him  and  those  who  have  gone  before,  we 


506  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

may  be  found  worthy  to  walk  the  golden  streets  of  that 
eternal  city,   whose  builder  and  maker  is  God:  Amen. 


PRESIDENT    BRIGHAM    YOUNG. 

"I  wish  the  people  to  be  as  still  as  possible  and  not 
to  whisper.  I  do  not  know  that  I  can  speak  so  that  you 
can  hear  me  ;  but  if  I  can  I  have  a  few  reflections  to 
lay  before  you.  We  are  called  here  on  this  very  import- 
ant occasion,  and  we  can  say  truly  that  the  day  of  this 
man's  death  was  far  better  to  him  than  the  day  of  his 
birth.  I  will  relate  to  you  my  feelings  concerning  the 
departure  of  Brother  Kimball. 

"  HE  WAS  A  MAN  OF  AS  MUCH  INTEGRITY,  I  PRESUME,, 
AS  ANY  MAN  WHO  EVER  LIVED  ON  THE  EARTH. 

"I  have  been  personally  acquainted  with  him  forty- 
three  years  and  I  can  testify  that  he  has  been  a  man  of 
truth,  a  man  of  benevolence,  a  man  that  was  to  be 
trusted.  Now  he  has  gone  and  left  us.  I  will  say  to  his 
wives  and  his  children,  that  I  have  not  felt  one  particle 
of  death  in  his  house  nor  about  it,  and  through  this  scene 
we  are  now  passing  I  have  not  felt  one  particle  of  the 
spirit  of  death.  He  has  fallen  asleep  for  a  certain  pur- 
pose,— to  be  prepared  for  a  glorious  resurrection  ;  and 
the  same  Heber  C.  Kimball,  every  component  particle  of 
his  body,  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  soles  of  his 
feet,  will  be  resurrected,  and  he,  in  the  flesh,  will  see 
God  and  converse  with  Him ;  and  see  his  brethren  and 
associate  with  them  and  they  will  enjoy  a  happy  eternity 
together. 

"  Brother  Kimball  has  had  the  privilege  of  living  and 
dying  in  his  own  house  in  peace ;  and  has  not  been  fol- 
lowed up  by  mobs  and  massacred.  I  consider  this  a 
great  consolation  to  his  family  and  friends ;  and  it  is  a 
great  comfort  to  me  to  think  that  Brother  Heber  C. 
Kimball  had  the  privilege  of  dying  in  peace.  It  is  not  a 
matter  of  regret ;  it  is  nothing  that  we  should  mourn  for. 
It  is  a  great  cause  of  joy  and  rejoicing  and  comfort  to  his 
friends  to  know  that  a  person  has  passed  away  in  peace 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  507 

from  this  life,  and  has  secured  to  himself  a  glorious 
resurrection.  The  earth  and  the  fullness  of  the  earth 
and  all  that  pertains  to  this  earth  in  an  earthly  capacity, 
is  no  comparison  with  the  glory,  joy  and  peace  and 
happiness  of  the  soul  that  departs  in  peace.  You  may 
think  I  have  reason  to  mourn.  Brother  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball  has  been  my  first  counselor  for  almost  twenty-four 
years.  I  am  happy  to  state,  it  is  a  matter  of  great  joy  to 
me;  this  is  the  third  counselor  that  has  fallen  asleep 
since  I  have  stood  to  counsel  this  people — and  they  have 
died  in  the  faith,  full  of  hope ;  their  lives  were  filled  up 
with  good  works,  full  of  faith,  comfort,  peace  and  joy  to 
their  brethren.  I  have  looked  over  this  matter.  In  the 
fourteen  years  that  Brother  Joseph  presided  over  the 
Church,  three  of  the  prominent  counselors  he  had  apos- 
tatized. This  was  a  matter  of  regret.  Sidney  Rigdon, 
F.  G.  Williams  and  William  Law,  whom  many  of  this 
congregation  knew  in  Nauvoo,  apostatized  and  left 
Brother  Joseph.  I  have  not  been  under  the  necessity  of 
mourning  and  lamenting  over  the  apostasy  of  any  one  of 
my  counselors,  and  I  hope  I  shall  never  have  this  to 
regret.  I  had  rather  bury  them  by  the  score  than  see 
one  of  them  apostatize. 

"A  great  deal  could  be  said  concerning  Brother 
Kimball,  whose  remains  are  here.  He  is  not  dead.  His 
earthly  tabernacle  has  fallen  asleep  to  be  prepared  for 
this  glorious  resurrection  that  you  and  I  live  for.  What 
can  we  say  to  one  another?  Live  as  he  has  lived;  be  as 
faithful  as  he  has  been ;  be  as  full  of  good  works  as  his 
life  has  manifested  to  us.  If  we  do  so,  our  end  will  be 
peace  and  joy,  and  we  will  fall  asleep  as  peacefully.  I 
held  my  watch  with  one  hand  and  fanned  him  with  the 
other,  while  he  breathed  his  last. 

"For  this  family  to  mourn  is  perhaps  natural;  but 
they  have  not  really  the  first  cause  to  do  so.  How  would 
you  feel  if  you  had  a  husband  or  a  father  that  would  lead 
you  from  the  truth?  I  would  to  God  that  we  would  all 
follow  him  in  his  example  in  our  faithfulness,  and  be  as 
faithful  as  he  was  in  his  life.  To  his  wives,  his  children,  his 
friends,  his  brethren  and  sisters,  to  this  family  whom  God 


508  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

has  selected  from  the  human  family  to  be  his  sons  and 
daughters,  I  say  let  us  follow  his  example.  He  has  gone 
to  rest.  We  can  say  of  him  all  that  can  be  said  of  any 
good  man.  The  Lord  selected  him  and  he  has  been 
faithful  and  this  has  made  him  a  great  man ;  just  as  you 
and  I  can  become  if  we  will  live  faithful  to  our  God  and 
our  religion.  There  is  no  man  but  what  can  do  good  if 
he  chooses ;  and  if  he  be  disposed  to  choose  the  good 
and  refuse  the  evil.  If  any  man  choose  the  evil  he  will 
dwindle,  especially  if  he  has  been  called  to  the  holy 
Priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God.  Such  a  man  will  dwindle 
and  falter,  stumble  and  fall ;  and  instead  of  becoming 
great  and  good,  he  will  be  lost  in  forgetfulness. 

"We  pay  our  last  respects  unto  Brother  Kimball.  I 
can  say  to  the  congregation,  we  thank  you  for  your 
attention.  We  are  happy  to  see  you  here.  It  would  be 
a  pleasure  to  us  if  it  would  be  prudent,  and  we  had  time, 
for  you  to  see  the  corpse ;  but  it  would  not  be  prudent 
and  we  have  not  the  time.  This,  perhaps,  will  be  a  mat- 
ter of  regret  to  many  of  you ;  but  you  must  put  up  with 
it.  I  want  to  say  to  every  one  who  wishes  to  see  Brother 
Heber  again,  live  so  that  you  will  secure  to  yourselves  a 
part  in  the  first  resurrection,  and  I  promise  you  that  you 
will  meet  him  and  shake  hands  with  him.  But  if  you  do 
not  live  so,  I  can  give  you  no  such  promise. 

"  Now,  my  friends,  I  feel  to  bless  you  ;  and  the  family, 
the  wives  and  the  children  of  Brother  Heber  C.  Kimball.  I 
bless  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ.  Will  you  receive 
the  blessings  which  a  father  and  husband  has  placed  upon 
your  heads?  If  you  live  for  them  you  will  enjoy  them. 
I  think  he  has  never  cursed  one  of  his  family ;  but  his 
heart  was  full  of  blessings  for  them.  He  has  blessed  his 
brethren  and  sisters  and  neighbors  and  friends.  His 
heart  was  full  of  blessings ;  but  he  was  a  scourge  to  the 
wicked  and  they  feared  him.  Now,  my  friends,  I  cannot 
talk  to  you,  my  sore  throat  will  not  let  me.  But  I  feel  to 
thank  you  for  your  kind  attention  here  to-day,  in  paying 
our  respects  to  the  remains  of  Brother  Kimball,  and  may 
God  bless  you.  Amen." 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  509 

At  the  close  of  the  President's  remarks,  the  choir 
sang:  "O  my  Father,  Thou  that  dwellest,"  and  Bishop 
Edwin  D.  Woolley  pronounced  the  benediction. 

The  procession  then  returned,  proceeding  to  the 
spot  selected  by  President  Kimball  as  the  final  resting 
place  of  his  mortal  remains.  Here,  beside  the  grave  of 
his  beloved  Vilate,  his  body  was  entombed. 

And  now  occurred  a  remarkable,  though  purely 
natural  phenomenon.  As  the  first  clods  of  earth  fell 
upon  the  coffin,  the  setting  sun  burst  forth  from  his 
cloudy  covering,  shedding  a  golden  halo  of  glory  upon 
the  scene,  while  instantaneously  in  the  eastern  horizon 
appeared  a  rainbow,  the  bright  and  beauteous  token  of 
promise,  directly  spanning  the  grave.  It  was  no  illusion; 
and  as  the  last  particles  of  mother  earth  were  gathered 
above  the  still  bosom  that  slept  below,  the  rainbow  dis- 
solved. 


So  passed  from  earth  the  immortal  part  of  him  whom 
men  named  Heber  C.  Kimball;  one  of  God's  " noble 
and  great  ones,"  recalled  with  honor  from  the  toils  of 
time  to  share  with  Him  the  triumphs  of  eternity.  Freed 
from  his  mortal  prison-house  of  sorrow  and  of  pain,  his 
mission  in  this  life  completed,  he  sought  once  more  the 
scenes  and  society  of  Home,  in  the  realms  of  eternal 
rest. 

Past  angels,  Gods  and  sentinels,  who  guard 
The  gates  celestial,  challengeless  and  free, 
That  sovereign  spirit  soared  unto  its  own; 
By  shouting  millions  welcomed  back  again, 
With  all  his  new-won  laurels  on  his  brow — 
The  meed  of  valor  and  of  victory — 
To  exaltations  endless  as  THE  LIVES. 


APPENDIX. 

A  GLIMPSE    OF    THE    GREAT    BEYOND THRILLING    EXPERIENCE  OF  DAVID 

PATTEN  KIMBALL LOST    IN    THE    DESERT COMMUNING    WITH    THE 

SPIRITS  OF  THE  DEPARTED DAVID  PREDICTS    HIS    OWN  DEATH  AND 

THE  DEATH  OF  FOUR  OTHERS THE  FULFILLMENT. 

THE  following  narrative,  under  the  caption  of  "A  Terrible 
Ordeal,"  was  originally  published  in  a  little  volume  called  "Helpful 
Visions,"  the  fourteenth  book  of  the  Faith-Promoting  Series,  issued 
from  the  office  of  thefavem'/e  Instructor,  in  1887.  It  was  edited  then, 
as  now,  by  the  author  of  this  work.  Its  relevancy  to  the  present  vol- 
ume will  be  apparent  as  we  proceed. 

On  the  22nd  of  November,  1883,  David  Patten  Kimball,  fourth 
son  of  Heber  Chase  and  Vilate  Murray  Kimball,  departed  this  life. 
Nearly  two  years  before  his  death,  he  wrote  to  his  sister  Helen,  in  Salt 
Lake  City,  the  letter  from  which  the  appended  extract  is  taken.  This 
letter  was  dated  January  8th,  1882.  David  was  then  a  resident  of 
Jonesville,  or  Lehi,  Arizona,  three  miles  from  Mesa,  where  the  letter 
was  written. 

The  experience  related  was  of  so  remarkable  a  character  as  to  meet 
with  dubiety  on  the  part  of  some,  especially  those  inclined  to  be  skep- 
tical regarding  spiritual  manifestations.  Some  went  so  far  as  to  ascribe 
the  sights  and  scenes  through  which  the  narrator  claimed  to  have 
passed,  to  the  fevered  fancy  of  a  mind  disordered  by  strong  drink. 
Nor  is  this  surprising,  when  it  is  remembered  that  even  the  Apostles 
of  Jesus,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  were  accused  of  being  "drunken 
with  new  wine,"  when  the  power  of  the  Spirit  fell  upon  them  and  they 
"spake  with  tongues  and  prophesied."  Skepticism  is  the  same  in  all 
ages.  What  is  here  presented  is  the  plain  and  simple  testimony  of  an 
honest  man,  who  firmly  adhered  to  it  till  the  day  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  literal  fulfillment  of  things  told  him  "while  in  the 
spirit." 

Here  is  the  excerpt  from  David's  letter.  The  events  described 
took  place  while  he  was  returning  home  from  a  trip  to  Prescott,  the 
capital  of  Arizona,  in  the  early  part  of  November,  1881 : 

"  On  the  4th  of  November,  I  took  a  very  severe  cold  in  a  snow 
storm  at  Prescott,  being  clad  in  light  clothing,  which  brought  on 
pneumonia  or  lung  fever.  I  resorted  to  Jamaica  ginger  and  pepper 


512  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

tea  to  obtain  relief  and  keep  up  my  strength  till  I  could  reach  home 
and  receive  proper  care.  On  the  i3th  I  camped  in  a  canyon  ten 
miles  west  of  Prescott,  my  son  Patten  being  with  me.  We  had  a  team 
of  eight  horses  and  two  wagons.  That  night  I  suffered  more  than 
death.  The  next  night  we  camped  at  Mr.  Mclntyre's,  about  twenty 
miles  farther  on.  I  stopped  there  two  nights  and  one  day,  during 
which  time  I  took  nothing  to  drink  but  pepper  tea.  On  the  i6th  we 
drove  to  Black's  ranch,  twenty-eight  miles  nearer  home,  and  were 
very  comfortably  located  in  Mr.  Black's  house. 

"About  ii  p.  m.  I  awoke  and  to  my  surprise  saw  some  six  or 
eight  men  standing  around  my  bed.  I  had  .no  dread  of  them  but  felt 
that  they  were  my  friends.  At  the  same  time  I  heard  a  voice  which 
seemed  to  come  from  an  eight  square  (octagon)  clock  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  house.  It  commenced  talking  and  blackguarding, 
which  drew  my  attention,  when  I  was  told  to  pay  no  attention  to  it. 
At  this  point  I  heard  the  most  beautiful  singing  I  ever  listened  to  in 
all  my  life.  These  were  the  words,  repeated  three  times  by  a  choir : 
'  God  bless  Brother  David  Kimbali.'  I  at  once  distinguished  among 
them  the  voice  of  my  second  wife,  Julia  Merrill,  who  in  life  was  a 
good  singer.  This,  of  course,  astonished  me.  Just  then  my  father 
commenced  talking  to  me,  the  voice  seeming  to  come  from  a  long  dis- 
tance. He  commenced  by  telling  me  of  his  associations  with  Presi- 
dent Young,  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  others  in  the  spirit  world,  then 
inquired  about  his  children,  and  seemed  to  regret  that  his  family 
were  so  scattered,  and  said  there  would  be  a  great  reformation  in  his 
family  inside  of  two  years.  He  also  told  me  where  I  should  live,  also 
yourself  and  others,  and  a  great  many  other  things.  J  conversed 
freely  with  father,  and  my  words  were  repeated  three  times  by  as  many 
different  persons,  exactly  as  I  spoke  them,  until  they  reached  him,  and 
then  his  words  to  me  were  handed  down  in  a  like  manner. 

"  After  all  this  I  gave  way  to  doubt,  thinking  it  might  be  only  a 
dream,  and  to  convince  myself  that  I  was  awake,  I  got  up  and  walked 
out-doors  into  the  open  air. 

"I  returned  and  still  the  spirit  of  doubt  was  upon  me.  To  test 
it  further  I  asked  my  wife  Julia  to  sing  me  a  verse  of  one  of  her  old 
songs.  At  that,  the  choir,  which  had  continued  singing,  stopped  and 
she  sang  the  song  through,  every  word  being  distinct  and  beautiful. 
The  name  of  the  song  was,  'Does  He  Ever  Think  of  Me.' 

"  My  eyes  were  now  turned  toward  the  south,  and  there,  as  in  a 
large  parquette,  I  beheld  hundreds,  even  thousands,  of  friends  and 
relatives.  I  was  then  given  the  privilege  of  asking  questions  and  did 
so.  This  lasted  for  some  time,  after  which  the  singing  commenced 
again,  directly  above  me.  I  now  wrapped  myself  in  a  pair  of  blankets 
and  went  out-doors,  determined  to  see  the  singers,  but  could  see 
nothing,  though  I  could  hear  the  voices  just  the  same.  I  returned  to 
my  couch  and  the  singing,  which  was  all  communicative  and  instruc- 
tive, continued  until  the  day  dawned.  All  this  time  the  clock  I  have 
mentioned  continued  its  cursing  and  blackguarding. 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Black  were  up  in  due  time  and  got  breakfast.     I 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  513 

arose  and  made  my  toilet,  plain  as  it  was,  and  took  breakfast  with  my 
host  and  hostess.  When  my  boy  got  ready  to  start,  I  went  to  pay  my 
bill,  and  to  my  surprise  heard  a  voice  say  or  communicate :  '  David 
Kimball  has  paid  his  bill.'  When  I  got  into  the  wagon,  my  guards, 
or  those  who  were  around  my  bed  during  the  night,  were  still  with  me. 
My  father  had  told  me  that  he  and  President  Young  and  others  would 
visit  me  the  next  night.  *p*-rv— 

"We  drove  on  until  about  n  a.  m.,  wfie&'$(^$£t  of  evil  spirits 
made  their  appearance.  They  were  determined  to  destroy  me,  but  I 
had  power  of  mind  to  pay  no  attention  to  them,  and  let  them  curse 
all  day  without  heeding  them  any  more  than  possible.  Five  times 
they  made  a  rush  en  masse  to  come  into  the  wagon,  the  last  one,  where 
I  was,  but  were  kept  off  by  my  friends  (spiritual).  About  2  p.  m.  I 
told  my  boy  to  stop  and  we  would  water  our  horses.  We  used  for  this 
purpose  barrels  that  we  had  along  with  us.  After  this  I  walked  to  the 
west  side  of  my  wagons,  and  looking  to  the  east,  I  saw  and  heard  the 
evil  spirits  floating  in  the  air  and  chanting  curses  upon  Brigham 
Young.  I  saw  two  other  groups  of  the  same  kind,  but  did  not  hear 
them.  Then  I  looked  to  the  south,  and  the  whole  atmosphere  was 
crowded  with  fallen  spirits,  or  those  who  had  not  obtained  bodies. 
Others  who  tried  to  torment  me  were  spirits  who  had  lived  upon  the 
earth.  Having  seen  so  many  and  being  complimented  by  my  guard 
for  seeing  so  well,  I  became  a  little  timid  and  asked  my  spiritual 
friends  if  they  had  any  help.  The  answer  was,  'Yes,  plenty.'  I  now 
told  my  boy  to  drive  on — he  was  entirely  oblivious  of  all  that  was  tak- 
ing place  with  me — and  soon  after  I  was  so  exhausted  that  I  fell  into  a 
troubled  sleep  and  must  have  slept  quite  a  little  while. 

"After  I  awoke  I  seemed  to  be  left  alone,  and  was  lying  on  my 
back,  when,  all  at  once,  I  saw  an  old  man  and  two  young  girls.  This 
vision  coming  on  me  so  suddenly,  I  was  startled,  and  finding  my 
guard  gone,  I  jumped  out  of  the  wagon  and  got  up  on  the  spring  seat 
beside  my  boy.  But  I  could  not  get  away  from  them.  I  was  told  in 
a  coarse,  gruff  voice  that  the  devil  was  going  to  kill  me,  and  that  he 
would  follow  me  night  and  day  until  he  destroyed  me.  I  remembered 
the  promise  father  had  made  me  the  night  before — that  he  in- 
tended to  visit  me  the  next  evening — and  I  nerved  up  and  tried  to 
pay  no  attention  to  my  persecutors,  but  I  must  confess  I  was  fright- 
ened. 

"We  arrived  at  Wickenburg  just  at  sundown.  The  old  man  and 
the  girls  were  tormenting  and  tantalizing  me  all  the  way,  but  never 
coming  very  near  to  me.  We  got  supper  and  I  took  a  room  at 
Peeple's  hotel  and  retired  about  10  p.  m.  When  everything  was 
quiet  my  spirit  friends,  eight  in  number,  returned  and  my  tormentors 
were  required  to  leave.  Soon  after,  a  glorious  vision  burst  upon  me. 
There  were  thousands  of  the  Saints  presented  to  me,  many  who  had 
died  at  Nauvoo,  in  Winter  Quarters,  on  the  plains  and  in  Utah. 

"  I  saw  Brother  Pugmire  and  many   others  whom  I  did  not  know 
were  dead.     When  my  mother  came  to  me  it  was  so  real  and  I  was  so 
overjoyed  that  I  exclaimed  aloud.     So  powerful  was  this  vision  that  I 
33 


514  LIFE    OF     HEBER    C.     KIMBALL. 

asked  President  Young,  who  seemed  to  be  directing  matters,  three 
times  to  relieve  me,  or  I  would  faint.  A  great  many  others  passed  in 
regular  order;  and  I  recognized  nearly  all  of  them,  and  was  told  the 
names  of  all  I  did  not  know.  My  father  sat  in  a  chair  with  his  legs 
crossed  and  his  hands  clasped  together,  as  we  have  often  seen  him. 
Those  who  passed  along  had  hidden  him  from  my  view  till  then. 

"This  scene  vanished,  and  I  was  then  taken  in  the  vision  into  a 
vast  building,  which  was  built  on  the  plan  of  the  Order  of  Zion.  I 
entered  through  a  south  door  and  found  myself  in  a  part  of  the  build- 
ing which  was  unfinished,  though  a  great  many  workmen  were  busy 
upon  it.  My  guide  showed  me  all  through  this  half  of  the  house,  and 
then  took  me  through  the  other  half,  which  was  finished.  The  rich- 
ness, grandeur  and  beauty  of  it  defied  description.  There  were  many 
apartments  in  the  house,  which  was  very  spacious,  and  they  differed  in 
size  and  the  fineness  of  the  workmanship,  according  to  the  merits  on 
earth  of  those  who  were  to  occupy  them.  I  felt  most  at  home  in  the 
unfinished  part,  among  the  workmen.  The  upper  part  of  the  house 
was  filled  with  Saints,  but  I  could  not  see  them,  though  some  of  them 
conversed  with  me,  my  father  and  mother,  Uncle  Joseph  Young  and 
others. 

"My  father  told  me  many  things,  and  I  received  many  reproofs 
for  my  wrong-doings.  Yet  he  was  loth  to  have  me  leave,  and  seemed 
to  feel  very  badly  when  the  time  came  for  me  to  go.  He  told  me  1 
could  remain  there  if  I  chose  to  do  so,  but  I  plead  with  him  that  I 
might  stay  with  my  family  long  enough  to  make  them  comfortable,  to 
repent  of  my  sins,  and  more  fully  prepare  myself  for  the  change. 
Had  it  not  been  for  this,  I  never  should  have  returned  home,  except 
as  a  corpse.  Father  finally  told  me  I  could  remain  two  years,  and  to 
do  all  the  good  I  could  during  that  time,  after  which  he  would  come 
for  me ;  he  mentioned  four  others  that  he  would  come  for  also,  though 
he  did  not  say  it  would  be  at  the  same  time. 

"On  the  i8th  of  November,  about  noon,  we  left  Wickenburg 
(which  is  twenty-two  miles  from  Black's  Ranch  where  we  stopped  the 
previous  night)  on  our  journey  home.  I  was  exhausted  from  what  I 
had  experienced,  and  could  feel  my  mind  fast  giving  away,  but  I  had 
confidence  that  I  would  reach  home  alive.  There  were  no  Elders  to 
administer  to  me  and  no  kind  friends  to  look  after  my  wants  except  my 
son,  who  had  all  he  could  do  in  looking  after  eight  horses  and  two 
wagons.  As  my  mind  wandered  and  grew  weaker,  I  was  troubled  and 
led  by  influences  over  which  I  had  no  power,  and  my  friends,  the  good 
spirits,  had  all  left  me. 

"We  drove  about  twenty  miles  that  afternoon,  camping  about 
eight  miles  from  water,  on  the  Salt  River  desert,  which  is  about  fifty 
miles  across.  During  the  fore  part  of  the  night  I  heard  the  horses 
running  as  though  they  were  frightened.  My  son  was  asleep,  but  I 
got  up  and  put  my  overcoat  across  my  shoulders  and  went  out  where 
they  were  and  got  them  quieted  down.  I  was  about  to  return  to  the 
wagon,  when  the  same  old  man  with  gray  whiskers,  who  had  tor- 
mented me  before,  stepped  between  me  and  the  wagons.  He  had  a 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  515 

long  knife  in  his  hand.  I  was  frightened  and  fled,  he  pursuing  me 
and  telling  me  he  was  going  to  kill  me.  What  I  passed  through  I  can- 
not describe,  and  no  mortal  tongue  could  tell.  I  wandered  two  days 
ard  three  nights  in  the  Salt  River  desert,  undergoing  the  torments  of 
the  damned,  most  of  the  time,  which  was  beyond  anything  that  mortal 
could  imagine. 

"When  my  mind  was  restored,  and  the  fever  which  had  raged 
within  me  had  abated,  I  found  myself  lying  on  a  bleak  hill-top,  lost 
in  the  desert,  chilled,  hungered,  thirsty  and  feeble.  I  had  scarcely 
any  clothing  on,  was  barefooted,  and  my  body  full  of  cactus  from  head 
to  foot.  My  hands  were  a  perfect  mat  of  thorns  and  briars.  This, 
with  the  knowledge  that  no  one  was  near  me,  made  me  realize  the 
awful  condition  I  was  in.  I  could  not  walk.  I  thought  I  would  take 
my  life,  but  had  no  knife  or.  any  thing  to  do  it  with.  I  tried  to 
cut  an  artery  in  my  arm  with  a  sharp  rock  I  had  picked  up,  hoping  I 
might  bleed  to  death,  but  even  this  was  denied  me.  The  wolves  and 
ravens  were  hovering  around  me,  anxiously  awaiting  my  death.  I  had 
a  long  stick  and  I  thought  I  would  dig  a  deep  hole  and  cover  myself 
up  the  best  I  could,  so  the  wolves  would  not  devour  my  body  until  I 
could  be  found  by  my  friends. 

"On  the  night  of  the  2ist,  I  could  see  a  fire  about  twenty-five 
miles  to  the  south,  and  felt  satisfied  that  it  was  my  friends  coming 
after  me.  I  knew  the  country  where  I  was ;  I  was  about  eight  miles 
from  houses  where  I  could  have  got  plenty  of  water  and  something  to 
eat,  but  my  strength  was  gone  and  my  feet  were  so  sore  I  could  not 
stand  up.  Another  long  and  dreary  day  passed,  but  I  could  see 
nothing  but  wolves  and  ravens  and  a  barren  desert  covered  with  cac- 
tus, and  had  about  made  up  my  mind  that  the  promise  of  two  years' 
life,  made  by  my  father,  was  not  to  be  realized.  While  in  this  terrible 
plight,  and  when  I  had  just  about  given  up  all  hope,  my  father  and 
mother  appeared  to  me  and  gave  me  a  drink  of  water  and  comforted  me, 
telling  me  I  would  be  found  by  my  friends  who  were  out  searching  for  me 
and  that  I  should  live  two  years  longer  as  I  had  been  promised.  When 
night  came  I  saw  another  fire  a  few  hundred  yards  from  me  and  could 
see  my  friends  around  it,  but  I  was  so  hoarse  I  could  not  make  them 
hear.  By  this  time  my  body  was  almost  lifeless  and  I  could  hardly 
move,  but  my  mind  was  in  a  perfect  condition  and  I  could  realize 
everything  that  happened  around  me. 

"On  the  morning  of  the  23rd,  at  daylight,  here  they  came,  about 
twenty  in  all,  two  of  my  own  sons,  my  nephew  William,  Bishop  E. 
Pomeroy,  John  Lewis,  John  Blackburn,  Wiley  Jones  and  others,  all 
friends  and  relatives  from  the  Mesa,  who  had  tracked  me  between 
seventy-five  and  one  hundred  miles.  I  shook  hands  with  them,  and 
they  were  all  overjoyed  to  see  me  alive,  although  in  such  a  pitiable 
plight.  My  own  feelings  I  shall  not  undertake  to  describe.  I  told 
them  to  be  very  careful  how  they  let  me  have  water,  at  first.  They 
rolled  me  up  in  some  blankets  and  put  me  on  a  buck-board  and 
appointed  John  Lewis  to  look  after  me  as  doctor  and  nurse.  After  I 
had  taken  a  few  swallows  of  water,  I  was  almost  frantic  for  more,  but 


516  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

they  wisely  refused   to  let  me  have  it  except  in  small  doses  every  half 
hour. 

"I  had  about  seventy-five  miles  to  ride  home.  We  arrived  at  my 
place  in  Jonesville  on  the  afternoon  of  the  24th  of  November,  when 
my  wife  and  family  took  charge  of  me  and  I  was  tenderly  and  care- 
fully nourished.  In  a  few  days  I  was  around  again.  I  told  my  expe- 
rience to  President  McDonald,  Bishop  Pomeroy,  C.  I.  Robson  and 
others,  and  most  of  them  believed  me,  but  my  word  was  doubted  by 
some.  The  report  had  gone  out  that  I  had  been  drinking  and  was 
under  the  influence  of  liquor.  This  was  an  utterly  false  report.  I 
told  them  I  had  just  two  years  to  live,  so  they  could  tell  whether  it 
was  a  true  manifestation  or  not. 

"Now,  Sister  Helen,  during  the  last  twelve  years  I  have  had 
doubts  about  the  truth  of  'Mormonism,'  because  I  did  not  take  a 
course  to  keep  my  testimony  alive  within  me.  And  the  letter  I  wrote 
you  last  August,  I  suppose  caused  you  to  feel  sorrowful,  and  you  prayed 
for  me  and  God  heard  your  prayers.  And  our  father  and  mother 
plead  with  the  Lord  in  my  behalf,  to  whom  I  will  give  the  credit  of 
this  terrible  but  useful  ordeal  through  which  I  have  passed  and  only  in 
part  described,  an  ordeal  which  but  few  men  have  ever  been  able  to 
endure  and  relate  what  I  have  seen  and  heard. 

"  Now,  my  dear  sister,  you  have  a  little  of  your  brother  David's 
experience,  and  let  who  will  think  that  I  have  been  drinking.  I 
know  these  things  were  shown  to  me  for  my  own  good,  and  it  was  no 
dream  but  a  glorious  and  awful  reality.  My  story  is  believed  by  rny 
brethren  who  have  respect  for  me.  I  will  console  myself  with  the 
knoweledge  I  have  obtained.  Let  the  world  wag  on,  and  let  hell  and 
the  devil  keep  up  their  warfare  against  the  Saints  of  God — I  know  for 
myself  that  'Mormonism'  is  true.  With  God's  help,  while  I  live  I 
shall  strive  to  do  good,  and  I  will  see  you  before  long  and  tell  you  all, 
as  it  never  will  be  blotted  out  of  my  memory. 

"With  kind  regards,  in  which  my  wife  and  children  join,  I 
remain,  as  ever, 

"Your  affectionate  brother, 

"DAVID  P.   KIMBALL." 


ACCOUNT    OF    PATTEN    KIMBALL    AND    OTHERS,    REGARDING    THE    SEARCH 
FOR  AND  FINDING  OF  HIS  FATHER. 

THE  following  is  an  account  furnished  by  Solomon  F.  Kimball, 
brother  of  David,  who  was  in  Mesa  at  the  time  of  the  occurrences 
described,  and  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  facts: 

"On  the  morning  of  November  igth  when  Patten  arose  and 
missed  his  father,  he  thought  probably  he  had  gone  out  to  hunt  for  the 
horses,  and  felt  no  uneasiness  concerning  him.  He  made  a  fire,  pre- 
pared breakfast  and  waited  some  time,  but  could  not  see  or  hear  him 


LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL.  517 

anywhere.  The  horses  came  strolling  into  camp  and  were  tied  up,  fed 
and  watered.  Patten  then  ate  his  meal,  saddled  a  horse  and  rode  back 
towards  Wickenburg,  until  he  came  to  a  small  place  called  Seymour  on 
the  Hassayampa,  but  could  find  out  nothing  of  his  father's  where- 
abouts. He  went  back  to  the  wagon  and  hunted  the  country  close 
around  camp  but  found  nothing  but  his  father's  overcoat,  which  was  a 
few  hundred  yards  from  the  wagon.  It  being  an  old  camp-ground, 
it  was  impossible  to  find  his  tracks.  He  finally  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  he  had  gone  towards  home,  so  he  hitched  up  his  team  and  drove 
homeward  until  he  came  to  Mr.  Calderwood's  at  Agua  Fria  (Cold 
Water).  At  this  place  there  was  a  well  dug  on  the  desert  about  twenty 
miles  from  Salt  River.  Patten  had  traveled  about  twenty-two  miles 
before  reaching  this  point,  but  was  disappointed  in  not  hearing  any- 
thing of  his  father.  He  had  traveled  all  night  and  Mr.  Calderwood 
was  up  and  around  when  he  arrived.  He  related  his  story  to  him  and 
was  advised  by  him  to  leave  his  team  there  and  take  the  best  pair  ot 
horses,  and  hitch  them  to  his  buckboard  and  go  on  to  the  Mesa.  Here 
he  could  get  help  to  come  and  hunt  for  the  missing  man.  The  dis- 
tance was  forty  miles,  which  would  take  all  the  rest  of  the  day  (the 
2oth).  He  acted  on  the  advice,  however,  and  arrived  at  his  destina- 
tion at  9  p.  m.  The  news  was  circulated,  and  in  less  than  two  hours, 
twenty  of  the  best  and  most  experienced  men  at  Mesa  and  Jonesville 
were  on  the  road,  taking  Patten  back  with  them.  They  also  took  a 
wagon  to  carry  water  and  provisions,  but  most  of  them  were  on  the 
best  of  horses.  They  had  sixty  miles  to  ride  before  beginning  the 
search,  which  was  accomplished  by  daylight  next  morning.  After 
feeding  their  horses  and  eating  a  lunch  they  held  a  consultation  and 
agreed  to  abide  by  the  following  rule.  If  any  one  of  the  party  found 
his  tracks  he  was  to  make  a  smoke  and  this  would  call  the  others  in 
that  direction.  They  then  started  out  in  different  directions.  They 
scoured  the  country  until  about  noon,  when  Sern  Sorenson  and  Charles 
Rogers  found  his  tracks.  They  supposed  they  were  about  twelve  miles 
from  where  he  was  lost,  and  about  ten  miles  from  Agua  Fria,  close  to 
the  main  road  on  the  south  side.  They  soon  gathered  some  brush  and 
started  a  fire,  putting  on  plenty  of  green  weeds,  etc.,  to  cause  asmoke, 
and  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  their  comrades.  His  tracks  were 
followed.  They  wound  round  and  round,  going  in  no  particular 
direction.  Some  places  he  would  cross  his  tracks  eight  or  ten  times  in 
going  one  hundred  yards,  which  made  it  quite  difficult  to  follow. 

"After  spending  a  part  of  the  afternoon  in  trailing  him  up,  the 
tracks  finally  took  a  direct  course  leading  to  the  north.  By  this  time 
all  the  searching  party  were  together. 

"Another  meeting  was  held  and  the  plan  adopted  was  for  eight 
horsemen,  four  on  each  side  of  his  tracks,  to  ride  at  a  considerable 
distance  apart,  so  as  to  cut  off  the  track  if  it  turned  to  the  right  or 
left,  and  two  or  three  of  the  best  trailers  to  keep  on  the  tracks,  while 
the  buckboard  and  wagon  followed  up.  These  were  out  of  sight  most 
of  the  time,  as  very  good  time  was  made  by  the  trailers  after  this  plan 
was  adopted.  The  ground  was  quite  soft,  and  those  on  the  trail  would 


51-8  LIFE     OF     HEBER     C.     KIMBALL. 

gallop  their  horses  for  miles,  but  darkness  soon,put  an  end  to  their  work 
for  this  day,  a  good  thing  for  both  men  and  animals. 

"They  had  traveled  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles  in  about 
twenty  hours.  They  were  working  men  and  had  plenty  of  strength  to 
carry  them  through  under  all  circumstances.  They  camped  on  the 
highest  ground  that  could  be  found  close  by,  and  made  a  large  fire 
which  was  kept  up  all  night  by  those  on  guard. 

"  As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see  the  tracks,  every  man  was 
at  his  place  moving  as  fast  as  he  could  under  the  circumstances. 

"This  was  the  morning  of  the  22nd.  One  great  drawback  they 
met  with  that  day  was  that  when  they  would  come  to  a  deep  ravine 
where  water  had  run  during  rainy  weather,  the  tracks  would  follow  up 
sometimes  for  miles  and  then  continue  in  the  former  direction.  Places 
would  frequently  be  found  in  .the  sand  where  the  lost  one  had  dug 
down  for  water  with  his  hands.  Now  and  then  they  would  find  a  piece 
of  his  clothing  and  see  places  where  he  had  run  into  the  fox-tail  cac- 
tus, cat's-claw  and  other  thorny  bushes.  One  place  was  found  where 
he  had  broken  off  the  limb  of  a  tree  for  a  walking  stick.  The  party  fol- 
lowed his  tracks  all  day  without  stopping,  only  as  they  were  obliged  to, 
on  account  of  losing  the  trail  or  from  some  other  cause. 

"Darkness  overtook  them  again,  but  nothing  could  be  seen  or 
heard  of  the  missing  man.  They  slept  on  his  tracks,  keeping  up  afire 
all  night  as  before.  His  sons  and  others  could  not  rest,  and  followed 
his  tracks  after  dark  by  striking  matches  and  putting  them  close  to  the 
ground  to  see  if  they  might  possibly  find  him.  Some  thought  they 
could  hear  a  sound,  but  it  was  so  indistinct  they  could  not  discern  the 
direction  from  which  it  came.  It  was  indeed  he  who  called,  for  they 
were  then  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  him,  but  he  was  too  hoarse 
to  make  them  hear.  On  the  morning  of  the  23rd  at  daylight  his 
anxious  friends  were  on  his  tracks,  and  had  gone  but  a  short  distance 
when  Charles  Peterson  saw  him.  He  had  a  long  staff  in  his  hand,  and 
had  raised  up  as  high  as  he  could  get,  being  on  one  knee  and  the 
other  foot  on  the  ground,  and  was  stretching  himself  as  far  as  he  could 
and  looking  eagerly  for  their  arrival.  The  crowd  made  a  rush,  and  in 
a  few  seconds  were  with  him,  Bishop  E.  Pomeroy  being  the  first.  He 
was  in  his  right  mind  and  knew  all  present,  and  was  glad  to  shake 
them  by  the  hand,  calling  each  by  name.  He  was  in  good  spirits  and 
joked  the  boys  frequently  and  gave  them  instructions  to  be  careful  in 
giving  him  water,  etc.  There  was  no  water  except  in  a  canteen  that 
had  been  reserved  for  his  especial  use.  The  company  suffered  them- 
selves for  want  of  water.  They  had  traveled  upwards  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours. 

"David  had  dug  a  deep  hole  with  his  stick  and  had  used  his 
hands  to  move  the  dirt.  He  said  he  was  digging  his  own  grave.  He 
was  rolled  in  blankets  and  put  on  the  buckboard.  All  drove  to  the 
nearest  houses,  seven  or  eight  miles  distant,  on  the  Hassayampa,  where 
they  refreshed  themselves  with  water  and  something  to  eat.  Soon 
they  were  on  the  road  homeward.  They  drove  to  Mr.  Calderwood's, 
which  was  about  thirty  miles,  and  stayed  all  night.  He  was  very  kind 


LIFE    OF    HEBER    C.    KIMBALL.  519 

to  them  and  told  them  to  help  themselves  to  anything  he  had,  such  as 
hay,  grain  and  food.  He  acted  the  man  in  every  respect.  A 
large  number  of  men  had  also  left  Phoenix  in  search  of  David,  among 
them  being  the  U.  S.  Marshal,  and  others.  White  men  and  Indians  were 
riding  over  the  desert  in  every  direction.  Next  morning  the  company 
drove  to  Jonesville,  forty  miles  distant,  where  they  arrived  about 

3  P-  m- 

"  David  was  carried  into  his  house  where  he  was  surrounded  by 
his  loving  wife  and  children. 

"When  he  recounted  his  experience,  he  said  that  one  thing  that 
kept  him  from  choking  to  death  for  want  of  water,  was  the  damp  peb- 
bles which  he  dug  from  low  ravines  and  held  in  his  mouth.  The 
Indians  said  that  no  human  being  could  walk  as  far  as  he  did  and  go 
without  water  four  days  and  five  nights  and  live.  The  party  that 
found  him  said  he  must  have  walked  at  least  seventy-five  miles,  some 
said  one  hundred. 

"He  testified  that  on  the  afternoon  of  the  22nd,  his  father  and 
mother  came  and  gave  him  water  and  told  him  that  his  friends  would 
find  him.  His  clothing  was  all  gone  except  his  under  garments,  which 
were  badly  torn. 

"  Before  leaving  home  on  his  trip  to  Prescott,  David  had  worked 
several  days  fixing  up  his  books  and  accounts  and  burning  up  all  use- 
less papers,  after  which  he  told  his  wife  that  he  felt  different  in  start- 
ing on  this  trip  from  anything  that  he  had  ever  felt  before.  He  said 
it  seemed  to  him  that  he  should  never  return.  He  told  her  that  if 
this  proved  to  be  the  case,  he  had  fixed  his  business  up  in  such  a  shape 
that  she  would  have  no  trouble,  and  would  know  as  much  about  it  as 
himself.  She  frequently  spoke  of  these  curious  remarks,  and  felt  con- 
siderably worried.  When  the  news  came  that  he  was  lost,  all  was 
plain  to  her,  and  she  never  expected  to  see  him  come  home  alive. 
Nothing  could  comfort  her,  and  she  watched  night  and  day  until  he 
was  brought  home. ' ' 


In  the  fall  of  1883,  David  came  to  Salt  Lake  City  on  a  visit  to 
his  sister  Helen  and  others,  to  whom  he  confirmed  with  his  own  lips 
all  that  his  letter  contained,  and  told  other  things  in  relation  to  his 
marvelous  experience.  He  declared  solemnly  that  he  was  perfectly 
sober  when  he  passed  through  the  trying  ordeal  related,  and  bore  a 
powerful  testimony  to  the  truth  of  "Mormonism."  He  seemed  a 
little  reticent  to  most  of  his  relatives,  and  talked  but  little  of  his 
strange  experience,  feeling  pained,that  so  many  doubted  his  word,  and 
being  unwilling  to  make  himself  obstrusive.  When  he  bade  his 
friends  farewell  before  returning  south,  there  was  something  in  his 
manner  which  seemed  to  say  that  he  was  taking  leave  of  them  for  all 
time.  This  visit  was  no  doubt  made  with  that  prospect  in  view,  for  it 
was  almost  two  years  from  the  time  he  was  lost  on  the  desert.  He 


52O  LIFE     OF    HEBER    C.     KIMBALL. 

returned  home  to  St.    David,    Cochise  County,  Arizona,  and  almost 
the  next  news  that  came  from  there  was  the  tidings  of  his  death. 

A  letter  from  his  nephew,  Charles  S.  Whitney,  who  was  then 
living  with  him,  written  home  on  the  22nd  of  November,  1883,  con- 
tained this  : 

"Uncle  David  died  this  morning  at  half- past  six,  easily,  and 
apparently  without  a  bit  of  pain.  Shortly  before  he  died,  he  looked 
up  and  called,  '  Father,  father ! '  All  night  long  he  had  called  for 
Uncle  Heber.  You  remember  hearing  him  tell  how  Grand-pa  came 
to  him  when  he  was  lost  on  the  desert,  and  how  he  plead  for  two  years 
more  and  was  given  that  much  longer  to  stay.  Last  Saturday,  the  day 
he  was  so  bad,  was  just  two  years  from  the  day  he  was  lost,  and  to-day 
is  just  two  years  from  the  day  his  father  and  mother  came  to  him  and 
gave  him  a  drink  of  water,  and  told  him  that  his  friends  would  find 
him  and  he  should  live  two  years  longer.  He  knew  that  he  was  going 
to  die,  and  bade  Aunt  Caroline  good-bye  day  before  yesterday." 

During  the  last  two  years  of  his  life  David  revealed  to  three  of 
his  personal  friends  the  names  of  the  four  persons  whom  his  father  had 
told  him  in  vision  that  he  should  come  for,  at  or  near  the  time  when  he 
would  return  for  him.  He  exacted  the  promise  from  these  friends 
(who,  it  seems,  had  some  doubt  regarding  the  divine  nature  of  his 
vision,  which  doubt  he  was  anxious  to  dispel)  that  they  would  not 
divulge  the  names  of  these  individuals  until  after  their  death.  The 
names,  with  respective  dates  of  decease,  are  as  follows : 

William  H.  Hooper;  died  December  3oth,  1882. 

Horace  K.  Whitney;  died  November  22nd,  1884. 

Heber  P.  Kimball;  died  February  8th,  1885. 

William  Jennings;  died  January  i5th,  1886. 

As  will  be  seen,  the  longest  interval  given  from  the  death  of 
David  P.  Kimball  is  two  years,  one  month  and  twenty-three  days. 
William  H.  Hooper,  who  was  the  first  of  the  four  to  go,  preceded 
David  by  about  eleven  months,  while  Horace  K.  Whitney,  the  second 
to  depart,  followed  him  one  year  later  to  a  day.